Back On Track
by Sapphire Lazulii
Summary: A companion piece to my fic Off The Path. Rude tries to get Reno to return to Edge, whilst also attempting to get him to admit his feelings for Tifa. Easier said than done with the stubborn redhead. One Shot that has become multi chapter. General ReTi mischief.
1. Reno's Return

_Disclaimer : I do not own FFVII, Crisis Core, Advent Children, or any of the characters that you recognise. As much as I love these guys, they belong to those other guys._

 _AN : This little one shot is based on my previous fic Off The Path. I guess you don't really need to read that to read this (or do you? Does it make sense on its own?) but if you're wondering what's going on, give OtP a read! Rating is for language and sexual suggestion but nothing hardcore in here :) If you guys reckon the rating needs to go up though, let me know! I suck at judging this stuff_

* * *

Three months.

Without sex.

Reno wasn't sure he'd gone that long since losing his virginity. Even in particularly dry spells, he had fallen back on various booty calls. Women (and one guy) who assured him that they would make time for him any time he needed to 'de-stress' from work pressures. Even when he'd left Edge and traveled, there was always someone in a bar who would satisfy his needs.

 _I've never slept with a redhead before._

 _Are those tattoos? Can I touch them?_

 _You've got a piercing WHERE? I don't believe you, show me it. In private._

He'd heard them all. And he was happy to 'educate' the people of Gaia in the ways of Reno. But that was before he'd run into her. That fateful day in the snow when he decided that it wasn't really procrastination if he was doing something helpful. But he hadn't know that it would be her. And he hadn't known she would end up staying in his home. And he definitely didn't know that she would end up having a rather profound effect on him.

When he'd first thought about it, he'd blamed the whisky. The alcohol had obviously softened him up and given him hazy feelings that went beyond lust. But then he remembered that he hadn't been drinking whisky past that first night.

Then he'd blamed scars. His scar, her scar. Both of them. That's why she'd first touched him somewhat tenderly and set his blood on fire with her cool, calloused yet still soft hands. But then again, they hadn't slept together after that in any other sense but actually sleeping.

The tattoo. He'd blamed her tattoo. That ridiculously sexy feminine tattoo in a ridiculous sexy feminine place. That had grabbed his attention, and held on tight. But when he'd seen it first, it had been innocent. Well, on her part. On his part it had been a true test of his willpower and resulted in the very small conscience he had making a rare appearance.

He tried blaming a lot of things. The snow, the drink, the fact that she was only going to be with him for a day or two, the fact that it would be a very impressive notch on his bedpost to bed not only one of the Saviours of the Planet but an old enemy. But in fact it had really been her laugh, her eyes, her smile, her surprisingly wicked sense of humour, the look she got on her face when she got flustered. The way she challenged him, how good she looked in his clothes. And the fact she was an amazing fuck didn't hurt either. That was why Tifa Lockhart had firmly gotten under Reno's skin. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about his previous lovers in passing before. Maybe a seat in a bar which reminded him of the time he'd picked up a fellow redhead. Maybe a graphic flashback during a lull in the middle of the working day. Those had been his favourite, because Rude or Elena or, if he was lucky, Tseng would ask him what he was staring into space at and he would tell them obligingly. In detail. Usually to an eye roll and a "Dude. Seriously?" (Rude), a cry of disgust and blush ('Lena) or a raised eyebrow (Tseng). But this was different. He didn't just think of the times they'd had sex, although those had been very pleasant day dreams. Or regular night dreams. Or thoughts during a longer-than-usual shower. He also thought of them laughing, which had been a lot. Reno hadn't realised just how much they'd laughed together (or him at her expense) until she was gone. He ended up actually moping a bit when he'd finally gotten home after their last night together in the hotel room. Rude had noticed right away. Reno thought back to when he'd barely taken two steps in his front door.

* * *

"What's wrong?"

"Whadda ya mean what's wrong? I didn't say anythin'. I'm just in the door!"

"..."

"I'm fine, man. I just have a headache from too much booze. Those Iced Teas are killer, yo."

"..."

"What? That's all that's wrong. I'm tired."

"..."

"Rude, I'm fuckin' serious, stop that!"

"Fine."

"S'better." Reno had snorted and flung himself onto the couch beside the bald Turk. Rude had stared at the redhead from behind his shades but Reno had pointedly looked in the other direction. Later that night, after a few too many beers, Rude had tried again to get Reno to admit that he was sulking, but he was in full on denial by this point. Each night when Reno came home from work, Rude would be waiting with a cooked meal. It was the deal that Reno would let Rude stay with him every time he visited, and Rude would cook so he didn't have to deal with the ready meals that were piled in Reno's freezer. Usually, conversation flowed easily between the two old partners as they ate, but Rude noticed Reno was just pushing food around his plate as opposed to his usual of shoving the food down his throat at such a speed there was no way he could have tasted anything. They made small talk, but Rude knew his partner inside out and wanted to find out exactly what was wrong, despite having a pretty good idea what was up. However, it wasn't until they were sharing a few beers at the weekend that Rude tested the waters again.

"So you cheered up any?"

"Eh?" Reno looked questioningly at his ex-partner. Rude drained the rest of his beer and stood up to head to the fridge. He brought back another two drinks and sat back down.

"You heard me. You aren't moping quite as much."

"I ain't mopin'!" Reno whined, taking the beers from Rude and opening then with one of the empties. Rude raised an eyebrow as he took the now open bottle.

"Where'd you learn that?" He questioned. He saw Reno wince a little.

"Tifa. We swapped a couple of party tricks."

"Let me guess. The tongue clover thing."

"Yep. And the Gil ring. Swapped that one for an origami frog that jumps. Lemme show you." Reno scanned his table for something to fold and froze momentarily. There was a beer label sat beside his empty bottles, perfectly peeled. He shook it off, unsure when he'd actually removed said label, and started folding it. Rude watched him for a bit.

"Since when did you peel beer labels off? Dry spell?"

"Eh. Fuck knows. But lookit!" Reno proudly held up the little paper frog. It was a bit squished, and it flopped more than jumped, but it made him smile either way. Rude took it out his hand and examined the little origami creature.

"So you spent a few days swapping party tricks and picking up weird beer habits. That all?" Rude turned back to his friend. Reno squirmed slightly. Then Rude took off his sunglasses and really looked at him. Reno squirmed a lot more.

"We did...stuff."

"You did 'stuff'? What are you, 12?"

"Why you care so much anyway? Still harbourin' that crush and feelin' a little jealous?" Reno attempted to sneer. He knew Rude didn't feel like that about Tifa anymore, or him going there with her would never have happened out of respect for his buddy. But he needed to take the focus off himself.

It didn't work.

"Dude, you know I've been with Karisa for almost six months now. No I do not still have a crush on Tifa. But you clearly do. Usually you're more than eager to share juicy details about your conquests. I was just curious what's different this time."

"Nothin' is different! You wanna know details, how about the fact that her cu-"

"Reno, no. Seriously. Don't." Rude help up a hand, silencing Reno's crude tirade before it started. "Forget I asked."

"Fine. But she's got a tattoo." Reno said with a nonchalant shrug. Rude's eyebrow raised and Reno knew he had his attention. Rude was almost as big a gossip as he was. Most of the Turks were, partly due to years of having to listen to others gossip to pick up tidbits of information that may come in useful one day. Remembering this, he added. "But you can't tell anybody." Rude shrugged in agreement and they both drank their drinks.

"A tattoo, huh? Didn't think she was the type to get something done."

"Yeah. It's a biggy, too." The grin returned to Reno's face as he pointed to himself, demonstrating where the tattoo started and ended. Rude's eyebrows lifted again.

"Whoa. And she showed you it willingly?"

"You suggestin' I tricked her?"

"Not suggesting, saying outright." Rude grinned. Reno snorted and took a drink of his beer.

"Actually, she slapped me when I asked to see it. But she ended up wasted and got caught in her top and I had to help so I saw it for the first time. The second time, it was deliberate though." Reno's grin turned slightly wicked at the memory, the urge to tell Rude what had happened on the very table in front of them. He decided against it. For now, anyway.

"She got caught in her top? What..." Rude blinked a few times, not that Reno could see him doing so. Reno's grin spread again.

"Whisky. She ended up wasted. Afterwards I gave her some stuff to change into and she needed help. So I helped. Perfect gentleman."

"I doubt that."

"I was! Sure, it was after some kissin', but from the moment she got super drunk and undressed I kept my hands to myself. You know how I feel about guys takin' advantage of women." Reno growled a little as he took another drink. Rude gave a single nod and mirrored his ex-partner, taking a long swig of beer.

"That's true. So this girl took her clothes off in front of you, and you didn't try to sleep with her?"

"Well, we slept together that night, but not like that. Just shared the bed." Reno shrugged. He yelped as Rude suddenly leaned over and grabbed his head with both hands after setting his beer down, lowering his glasses to stare into the redhead's eyes up close. "Rude, man, what the fuck are you doin'?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Reno?"

"Ha ha, very fuckin' funny, lemme go!" Reno flailed his arms and pulled back from Rude, who was still staring at him like there was something wrong with him. "I still fucked her, didn't I?"

"Eventually, maybe. But you guys shared a bed after you'd seen her mostly naked and you didn't turn the charm on like I know you can? That's different."

"Aw c'mon man, gimme a break."

"I never said it was bad. Just different." Rude shrugged slightly and picked his beer back up. Reno huffed and got up, his cheeks a little pink.

"If I'm dealin' with this shit tonight, beer ain't gonna cut it." The redhead mumbled as he headed to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of whisky and two glasses. Rude lifted an eyebrow as Reno opened the bottle and poured them both a drink and handed him one of the glasses. Reno clinked his glass off Rude's before almost downing the lot. Rude took a drink as Reno filled his glass again.

"Talisker Skye? Still?"

"You know I love this stuff." Reno gave him a lopsided grin as he lounged back against the couch, one arm outstretched along the headrests. Rude leaned back and lifted his glass, looking at the amber liquid.

"You like her, don't you?"

"Oh for... dude, seriously. You're ruining my Saturday night." Reno shot the other man a glare, which was met with a nonchalant shrug.

"I'm just calling it like I see it, bro. You know I've seen you work your way through the entire ShinRa secretarial pool with not a second date in sight, along with half the locals of most towns we've been to-"

"You're exaggerating."

"Not by much. Regardless, you know what I mean. This is different. Something happened with Tifa and you can't get her out of your head. You can try and deny it and hide, but you know I know you, may not want to admit it to yourself, but she changed you in the short time she was here. And that's nothing to be ashamed off. It's actually about time someone got under your skin a little."

"Thanks, partner. Glad you've been rooting for me to experience misery."

"That's not what I meant and you know it. You'll get over it, I know, but it's nice to see you're still actually capable of falling for someone."

"What, you think I'm in love with her after one weekend? Fuck sake Rude, gimme a break, that's ridiculous." Reno was starting to growl now. "Can we just leave it and talk about something else? Yer makin' the whisky taste bad."

Rude nodded one and raised his glass to his lips. The subject was dropped and the evening continued as it usually did when they caught up. Reno got insanely drunk and Rude had to put him to bed.

* * *

When Rude returned for another visit two months later, he noticed Reno was still out of sorts. He would have been worried if he hadn't known what Reno himself was in denial about.

He'd popped by Seventh Heaven a few times to relax after a shift with Elena and noticed Tifa had started stocking a certain whisky that she'd never had in before. Whenever they walked in, Tifa always greeted them warmly and they even had a regular table. However, Rude noticed she always looked past him and Elena when they walked in too, as if she was looking for a possibly third member of their party. And he doubted she was seeing it Tseng had joined them. But when she caught Rude looking at her, she always plastered a ridiculously large smile on her face. A smile that was clearly trying to hide a little bit of dashed hope. So when he walked into Reno's small cabin to find the redhead smoking a cigarette, he knew what was going on even if the two of them didn't.

"I thought you quit."

"I thought you weren't due to visit for another month." Reno instantly shot back without even giving the bald Turk a glance, tilting his head back against the couch and opening his mouth to let smoke drift lazily from between his lips. Rude went to the kitchen and came back with two beers. He opened them against the table and handed one to Reno.

"Tseng wants you back."

"I told him already that-"

"It's been two years."

"...I'm still a risk."

"How long?"

"About two months since the last nightmare. Nine since the last night terror."

"Two months without anything?"

"Yeah."

"That's... That's really good."

"Yeah. Kinda fuckin' relieved myself, yo."

"Any particular reason they stopped?" Rude questioned as he took a look drink of his beer, wondering how Reno would reply. He saw the redhead falter before he also took a long drink. He shrugged and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table. Rude noted that it was almost full.

"Hell if I know."

"You sure?"

"Course I'm fuckin' sure. What you gettin' at?"

"She started selling Talisker Skye." Rude went for a total subject change that wasn't really a subject change, hoping to throw his partner off. Judging by the way Reno froze, it worked. Reno quickly regained his composure, but Rude had seen him falter. The redhead slouched, attempting to look relaxed.

"Who has?"

"Tifa." If he was going to play dumb, Rude was going to treat him as such. He could have sworn he saw a smile playing at the edge of Reno's mouth as he took a long drink of his beer.

"Lucky for you. Saves you having to drink that usual shit."

"It'll give you something to drink too. Come back." Rude said simply. Reno sighed deeply and looked down at the beer in his lap, picking at the label edges.

"I do wanna...but..."

"Do it. You have more reasons for than against. Especially now."

"What's that s'posed ta mean?"

"Reno..." Rude gave an exasperated sigh. The redhead could be the most stubborn person he had even met. He didn't know why the denial was continuing. He gave Reno a sideways glance and saw he was staring at his beer which he had cradled in his lap, his thumb running over the label.

"What if I go off the rails again? What if it all starts all over and I hurt you or Elena." Or Tifa. He nearly said it. But he managed to catch himself before he did.

"You won't. You won't hurt me or Elena. Or anyone else." Rude added. Reno looked up at him as Rude laid a hand on his shoulder. "Come back, Reno. I miss you. We all do. She does, too." Rude trailed off. He saw Reno's shoulders slump slightly.

"Fine." The redhead sighed again. "I'll come back. Be it on your head though. I want my own apartment, just in case."

"Tseng thought you would. You're just a block away from me. He managed to convince Rufus to give you a furnished place too. And a raise."

"He was sure I was coming back this time, eh?"

"You know the boss." Rude smiled slightly and Reno snorted.

"Thank fuck. I'm bored as fuck of travelling."

* * *

Reno slipped back into life as a Turk easily. It was like he'd never been gone, although two years had passed. There was some things you just didn't forget. It was who he was, and he didn't realise just how much he'd missed it until he was back. Rufus had insisted on testing him though, and keeping him out of the field for a month. Reno had to have a medical as well as tests on his marksmanship to make sure he hadn't gotten sloppy. He hadn't. The doctor that carried out his medical insisted on taking daily blood samples for two weeks before he deemed Reno fit for field work. He knew they were keeping an eye on the Mako levels in his blood while he was back near Midgar. Nothing changed, and Reno got back to work.

It was different than before. It was more about providing security, being a show of strength. Reno didn't need to pull his gun as often, and his EMR stayed attached to his hip more often than not. He kinda missed a bit of the excitement, but not having to keep an eye over his shoulder quite so often was a nice change of pace. He still had to pay attention though. Still had to be one step ahead. The idea of ShinRa having any sort of power again still scared some people, though Rufus spent a lot of time talking to people and assuring people he had changed and Mako energy was not an option for the future. With Reeve's help, the ShinRa name was starting to regain some credibility, and though the Turks were still feared, it was different.

The first night he had been walking home with Rude after his medical, they had passed Seventh Heaven. Reno did his best not to look in the direction of the bar, but his eyes took everything in. He couldn't see past the door but he saw two kids, one of them Barret's girl, sweeping out front and watering the flowers in the hanging basket outside. Every time he walked past, he saw either Marlene or the other kid or both. But never her. After his first mission, Reno had made a point of walking past again and noticed neither of the kids were anywhere to be seen. He thought it was unusual, and made a point of walking past every night that week. Not once did he see them. He was wondering if Tifa was maybe away on another trip until the Saturday night when he had once again swung by the bar, curiosity driving him crazy now. He froze as he turned the corner on the street that led to the Seventh Heaven. There she was, watering the flower baskets. His heart started to thud in his chest. He suddenly doubted if she would be happy to see him. But then he noticed what she was wearing. A plain, black tshirt that was clearly too big for her. His tshirt.

Reno couldn't help but grin. He didn't know why he had decided to give her it. Maybe so he didn't have to wear it again and remind himself of her in it. Not that it helped, he thought about her anyway. But seeing her wearing it made his mind up that he wanted to speak to her. He decided to wait until the bar had cleared. So he had gone home and waited until 1am. Waited wasn't perhaps the right word. He had paced. He had smoked. He had drank. He had paced again.

Pulling on his suit jacket to ensure he didn't meet any trouble on his way, Reno headed back to the bar just after closing time. Or what he hoped was closing time. He was standing outside, leaning against a lamppost as he saw two men stumble out of the door. They were clearly drunk, and Reno watched them as they stumbled off down the street. He looked back at the door in time to see the lights dim behind the frosted glass windows. She was closing for the night, and he wasn't sure if she would leave the building or stay for a while. Pushing himself up off his leaning post, he lightly bounded up the stairs and opened the door quietly, striding up to the bar before she had time to turn round. He saw his long black hair cascading down her back as she meant over the bar, perched on one of the stools. She appeared to be drinking, and when he saw the bottle sitting next to her he couldn't help but grin. His heart was hammering now as he watched her lean over the bar to grab him a glass, but he managed to keep his voice calm as he slid into a stool beside her.

"You remembered. What I said 'bout most places not havin' this stuff in."

* * *

That night, they had reacquainted themselves with each other. More specifically, wth their bodies. Tifa had been in disbelief that he hadn't slept with anyone else since her and queried why. Reno squirmed awkwardly and distracted her with his tongue. It turned into a game. She would ask why, and he would distract her with another orgasm. Eventually they fell asleep as the sun was coming up, and it was in her bed that Reno lay now, his arm tucked under her head as she curled against his side, dozing as the sun lightly streamed in through the window.

The truth is, he didn't know himself why he hadn't had sex with anyone else since her. It hadn't actually crossed his mind until her saw her again and the rush of blood to between his legs made him aware that it had in fact been three months. He looked down at her, his hand tracing slow lazy circles against her bare skin. It didn't matter now anyway. Whatever this was didn't need a label right now and he didn't need to explain anything to anyone, least of all her despite her teasing. He was just glad that she was pressed up against him again. He didn't have to think about how warm and full his chest felt. He didn't have to think about how he couldn't have wiped the smile off his face even if he'd tried. He didn't have to worry about the urge he had to link his fingers with hers. And he didn't have to worry about explaining himself to anyone when the arm that wasn't wrapped around her moved to satisfy that urge with the hand of hers that rested against his stomach. And he didn't have to hold back the soft kiss he placed against her head before he joined her in dozing off.

Reno was too busy thinking about all the things he didn't have to feel to pay attention to the one feeling that was securing itself within him, wrapping it's fingers around his heart. Calloused, but soft fingers.

Three months.

Without her.

He had no intention of ever going that long again.

* * *

AN : I thought I would fill in the gaps at the end for those who wanted to know how Reno ended up back at Edge. I love making him and Rude interact, definitely something I want to do more of in the future. :)


	2. Fight, Fight, Fight!

_Disclaimer : I do not own FFVII, Crisis Core, Advent Children, or any of the characters that you recognise. As much as I love these guys, they belong to those other guys._

 _AN : I have more ReTi in the bank and I can't let them lie! I just love making them interact too much and the idea for this came to me the other night so here ya go! Enjoy!_

 **Review Replies**

starrienight : I reckon Rude knows more about Reno than Reno does! Haha he would deffo be the one to call Reno out!

Jasien : Thank you! I'm glad you like the connection :) And yeah, I thought I'd keep some little nods in there to my other fic haha. And in Wutai in FFVII, its actually Rude who comments that Elena is making the booze taste bad, so I thought it would be fun for Reno to use that against him. xD

* * *

Reno was getting used to waking up in an empty bed at the weekend. He struggled to fall asleep most nights so when he did manage to pass out, it usually resulted in him sleeping in late whenever he wasn't working. So whenever he did stay at Tifa's, or her at his place, she was usually up before him and getting on with her morning (or rather, afternoon) by the time he shuffled out of the bedroom to join her. He didn't mind, especially since most days he could convince her to come back to bed for an hour or two. He had to admit that sometimes he used less than honourable tactics to get her back into bed occasionally, but she didn't seem to mind.

This morning however, when he finally surfaced and made his way into the kitchen after pulling on a pair of sweatpants (part of the problem of staying at Tifa's was that there was often two kids running around, and usually a visitor or two at any given time, so he had to get in the habit of not walking around naked. And hadn't that taken some getting used to!), she was nowhere to be found. He rubbed his eyes a few times and sat in one of the chairs at the tiny table pushed into a corner of the small kitchen. He blinked sleepily as he looked around. There was a fresh pot of coffee, but that was the only sign of anyone else having been in the apartment. Reno decided to forgo the warm beverage and head out to find Tifa. He wasn't at the stage where he felt completely comfortable hanging out here without her yet. Reno was the kind of person that could make himself comfortable almost anywhere, but the fact that Barret or Cloud often dropped by made him very aware that he was a lone Turk when he was here without Tifa. And so far neither of the two men had made any effort to make him feel welcome in their lives.

Barret had taken to their...involvement better than he had expected. Or he did to Tifa's face, anyway. Whenever she wasn't looking, Reno had caught the larger man giving him looks that would peel paint from a brick wall. Reno being Reno, he usually just gave the man a large grin, which would earn him an appearance from the rather threatening looking bulging vein in Barret's forehead and a twitch of the metal hand he now sported as if he wanted to wrap it right around Reno's neck. He knew he wouldn't though. Both for Tifa's sake and for the fact that Barret knew Reno could hold his own, despite his slim and lanky frame compared to Barret's bulk. Cloud was more subtle however. If it hadn't been for the fact that Reno had known him for years, he would probably think Cloud felt quite indifferent towards him. But it was subtle things that let Reno know that the blond was none too pleased with seeing the redhead around the bar and the apartment. His lips setting into a hard line, a very slight narrowing of the eyes, a clenched fist that unclenched just as quickly. Reno didn't care. Cloud had a million and one chances with Tifa, and he let her go, and as far as Reno was concerned he had nothing to prove to the spiky headed swordsman. But regardless whether Reno was doing nothing wrong or not, he still wasn't in a hurry to spend time alone with either of the two men.

The Turk headed back into the bedroom and pulled on the rest of his clothing, along with a loose dark grey hoodie that he promptly shoved his hands into the pockets of when it was over his head. Despite returning to the Turks, he didn't feel the need to wear the suit on his days off. His rather vibrant hair was recognisable enough to ward off anyone who would care to cause any trouble. Taking the stairs two at a time, Reno bounded down to the bar, expecting to find Tifa there. However, all he found was Marlene and Barret, who were sitting at one of the tables playing a card game. Reno sighed slightly before he plastered a grin on his face and strode over to them.

"Mornin' Where's Teef?"

"Out." The larger man answered gruffly, obviously not willing to elaborate. Thankfully, Marlene was still young and bubbly enough that she was happy enough to chat to Reno without being wary of him or his past.

"She headed out for a run. She said she was heading out to the plains. She left maybe half an hour ago, so she won't be back for another hour or so." The girl told him with a smile. Reno gave her a smile in return and raised two fingers to his head in a mock salute.

"Thanks, 'pprciate it Marlene." He gave her a wink and headed out to the door of the bar, missing the small blush that appeared on Marlene's cheeks and the subsequent glare that Barret gave him. He pulled his hood up over his fire red hair to ward off the slight chill in the spring air and looked around. It was still before midday on a Sunday so the streets were relatively quiet. Tifa had made a point of telling him what route she took when she went out a run just in case there was ever a problem with Denzel. Despite the fact that Geostigma was a thing of the past now, Tifa couldn't help but worry that it might return at some point. She'd seen too many things go wrong to believe anything ever went that smoothly in life. Giving himself one final shake to dust off any remaining tiredness and deciding he had nothing better to do with his Sunday anyway, Reno set off at a run northwest toward the plains surrounding Edge near the ruins of Midgar.

Even though the lazy redhead never did any exercise outside of work, he kept his speed and stamina, and it wasn't long before Reno was running alongside the outskirts of the remains of Sector 4. He figured at her usual pace, she would be around here after half an hour. Slowing to a casual jog, he made his way parallel to the ruined wall around the slums. It was almost eerily silent, especially since Reno was used to patrolling these streets when the slums of Midgar was full to bursting with people. After the evacuation, Reno had only returned to Midgar a handful of times. The debris, both human and non, wasn't something he wished to see more than necessary, but Tifa insisted on running around the outskirts of Edge and it took her past this area. He came to a halt, leaning forward to rest his hands on his knees as he sucked in a few lungfuls of air. _Fuck. I really gotta lay off the pizza. This running shit is getting harder every time._ Reno chastised himself as he straightened back up. As he did, he heard a noise up ahead and with a slight groan, he started jogging in the direction of the noise.

As he got closer, Reno ducked behind a large piece of debris that looked like it had fallen from the ShinRa building itself. Peeking around to see what the source of the noise was, a small grin crept across his face. It was Tifa as he'd expected, but he hadn't expected to find her stationary, never mind shadow boxing in the ruins of Midgar. He stayed out of sight, watching her as she worked up a sweat whilst throwing various punches and kicks at enemies that weren't there. She was dressed in her running gear, but she had discarded her light jacket and was clad in a pair of black capris and a white tank top. He couldn't help but notice that she didn't seem to putting much power into it, and her movements seemed a little more sluggish than he knew she was capable of. His grin widened sightly as he watched her, knowing she was oblivious to him even being there. There was something brutally hot about watching her demonstrate the power he knew she was harbouring. He was just about to step forward and make himself known when Tifa completed a somersault and landed slightly off balance, dropping to one knee and letting out an annoyed cry. Breathing heavily, she got back to her feet, her back to him. He watched her long hair sway slightly as her shoulders rose and fell with her laboured breathing.

"Y'know, it's kinda creepy to spy on people out here." She suddenly called out without turning around. Reno faltered slightly before he rubbed the back of his head, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. He had been sure she hadn't noticed him, but then he forgot that Tifa wasn't just any girl. He walked out from behind the large chunk of brick and mortar as she turned round, a small smile on her face. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her hair stuck to her cheeks, but her eyes practically burned, crimson flecks flashing as she looked at him. Reno tugged his hood down and gave her a lazy grin, his hands shoved into the pockets in his hoodie.

"I ain't spyin'. Merely appreciatin' from afar." He quipped, causing her smile to widen slightly as he strode up to her and stopped just in front of her. She tilted her head to look at him as she tucked some loose hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, yeah. What's up?" Reno didn't miss the small flash of concern in her eyes. He shook his head.

"Nothin'. Just woke up in an empty apartment and thought I'd join you for a run. But you ain't runnin', are you?"

"Well, I was. I just decided..." Tifa looked down at her feet, suddenly looking a little bashful. "I just wanted to spar a little. I feel really out of practice, and the bar is so busy. And there's no real room to practice at home."

"Why didn't ya say so?" Reno crooked a finger under her jaw and lifted his chin before he pressed a small kiss against her lips. Her breath was hot and she tasted slightly salty due to her sweating from exertion, and for some reason it caused Reno's heart to speed up a little and his blood to rush in his veins. He pulled back quickly before he got carried away. "We have a space you can use, a training room of sorts. We use it for sparring, but I'm sure Tseng wouldn't mind if we used it when the others aren't needing it."

"Really? You think that would be okay?" Tifa's eyes widened a little, her lips still slightly parted as Reno let his hand drop and shoved it back into his pocket. He nodded.

"Yeah, why not? I can take you there tomorrow if ya want? We can have at it." Reno flashed her a wide smile and Tifa laughed softly.

"You want to train _with_ me? I didn't think hand to hand combat was your thing?"

"Hey, we all have to train in all aspects of combat. You never know when you won't be able to reach your weapon. Me and Rude used ta train together all the time so I can handle it. He does not hold back, yo." Reno rubbed his jaw absentmindedly and Tifa laughed again.

"I won't go easy on you either." She told him with a grin as she placed her hands on her hips. Reno grinned and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him. He dipped his head down to taste her mouth again, his fingers flexing against her back as she sighed softly and rested her hands on his arms. He pulled back, licking his lips slightly as he rested his forehead against hers.

"You never do, Lockhart."

* * *

"This is the place!" Reno pushed open the double doors with a flourish and stepped into the room. He had led Tifa to a rather plain looking building, past a rather gruff older man who was sitting at a single desk in front of an elevator, and up four floors to a long corridor with three doors leading to various unknown rooms. They had entered the room at the end of the hall, and were now standing in what looked like a small gym. There were three punching bags hung up in one corner, a treadmill and various other cardio machines in one other corner, and in the middle an octagonal fighting ring. Reno sauntered over to a small bench near a little water fountain and sat down while Tifa walked up to the octagon and hooked her fingers through the mesh.

"I can't believe this is in this building. All the equipment looks decent."

"Rufus spares no expense when it comes to us stayin' on top of our game." Reno explained with a shrug as he rolled his sleeves up and began wrapping his hands up with tape. Tifa looked over at him, letting her hand drop to her side.

"How often do you come here?"

"Honestly? I don't, really." He gave her a grin and she simply blinked back at him. "Tseng has been gettin' on my case since I got back to start making regular visits here again to stop me gettin' sloppy. I just blame you and say I can't get any free time out of bed."

"Reno!" Tifa spluttered as the redhead burst out laughing. "That's not true and you know it!"

"It's a little true." He gave her a wink as he pulled on some lightweight padded gloves. Tifa rolled her eyes and wandered over to join him on the bench, pulling off her jacket. He handed her the tape and she wrapped her own hands quickly and efficiently. It brought back almost fond memories, and she found herself smiling as she secured the tape around her fingers before she pulled on a pair of her favourite gloves. They were tatty and had definitely seen better days, but she couldn't bear to part with them. They were almost as loved as the red pair that had followed her all over Gaia before Meteorfall, but she figured she would forgo the studded pair since she was simply sparring and not looking to do actual harm. When she was done she stood up and began to stretch out her muscles, a little hum of excitement buzzing in her veins. She couldn't remember the last time she had sparred with anyone. Cloud used to help her out when he was free, but he was so busy with deliveries and also trying to spend time with Denzel that their regular spar sessions had fallen by the wayside. Cloud still got to keep his sword skills sharp when he was out on Fenrir, but Tifa just felt herself getting rusty. She tied her hair up in a high ponytail and then linked her fingers and stretched her arms up over her head, noticing Reno was leaning against the octagon and grinning at her. She raised an eyebrow as she let her arms fall behind her back, stretching in a way that cause her ample bosom to push forward.

"Aren't you going to stretch?"

"Hell no. I'm enjoyin' watching you do it far too much."

"Pervert. Don't complain if you pull something." Tifa snorted as she shook her hands off before striding over to the octagon door. She lifted the latch and let herself in, walking over to the far side of the ring before turning on her heel. Reno pulled the door shut behind him and walked into the centre of the ring, one hand shoved clumsily into the pocket of his sweatpants. She noticed he hadn't taken off his baggy hoodie, and he looked almost bored as he picked a piece of fluff off one sleeve. Tifa placed her hands on his hips, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Are you ready to go?"

"Whenever you are, babe." He replied with a small shrug. Tifa clenched her fists and smirked slightly before she launched herself at him without warning. She brought her elbow up to catch his face and couldn't help but feel surprised when it met fresh air. Reno had ducked out of her way with little effort, and blocked her arm, when she spun to throw a punch at him. Tifa's eyes widened slightly as Reno gave her a lazy grin. "You've gotten slow, Lockhart."

"Slow?!" Tifa practically growled as she unleashed a flurry of punches, all of which Reno expertly dodged or blocked. Tifa cried out as she suddenly spun and aimed a kick at his head. Her cry turned to a yelp as she suddenly found herself flat on her back. She looked up, blinking, to see the redhead leaning over her with a grin on his face.

"Yeah. Slow. And it used to actually hurt to block your blows." He crossed his arms across his chest. Tifa glared at him before she scrambled to her feet, turning to face him in a fighting stance. Reno simply made a come-hither movement with a single finger, one hand back in his pocket. His flippant attitude simply angered Tifa as she flung herself at him again, pushing herself to make sure most blows connected. He managed to block them all, and in the blink of an eye he was behind her, his arms hooked under hers to stop her from moving. Tifa let out an exasperated cry as he nuzzled his face into her neck behind her ear, a tingle running down her spine.

"I thought we were sparring?"

"I thought so too. Aren't you supposed to be good at this?" He murmured into her ear, his breath on her skin causing another shiver to run through her despite the fact that she was pissed at him for playing with her. She let out a sound halfway between a frustrated groan and a soft moan as Reno took her earlobe between his teeth. He was enjoying having her helpless far too much. Tifa struggled against him, despite the warmth that pooled in her lower belly at his touch. She could feel him grin as he let her go. Tifa spun to look at him, her brows furrowed but a small flush in her face.

"So I'm outta practice. You knew this, hence why we're here. You don't need to resort to dirty tactics too."

"When have you ever complained about me playin' dirty?" Reno gave her a wide smirk as he spread his arms slightly. Tifa tsked as she flew at him again. This time, he didn't twist away from her. Instead, he met her punches with his forearms and occasionally a shin. Tifa could feel beads of sweat running down the nape of her neck, and despite her annoyance that she hadn't caught him off guard yet, the thrill of fighting again made her blood sing. She dropped down suddenly and tried to sweep his legs out from under him but Reno avoided her low kick and retaliated with his own. Tifa barely had time to register his leg shooting out until she was crumpled in a pile on the mat, holding her face.

"Sonnuva-!"

"Fuck, Tifa! You ok?" Reno was beside her in a flash as she pushed herself up to a sitting position, both hands covering her nose as she attempted to blink back stars.

"Holy Shiva, Red, that hurt!" She gave him a sideways glance and Reno relaxed a little. If she was using his nickname, she wasn't truly that pissed at him. He took hold of her wrists gently, unable to keep a small smile off his face as he eased her hands down to take a look. There was a small trickle of blood running from her nose and she would probably have a black eye, but nothing long lasting. Reno let out a small sigh of relief.

"Sorry. I honestly thought you'd avoid it."

"Let me say it again. I. Am. RUSTY." Tifa punctuated each word with a jab to his shoulder. Reno grasped at his shoulder and fell back on his ass, laughing. Tifa had a small smile on her face too as she got to her feet and offered him a hand, which he took with a wide grin.

"Yeah, well. You'd probably kick my ass if I went easy on ya."

"True. But damn, this is gonna hurt in the morning." She tenderly rubbed the end of her nose and Reno stepped forward to wrap his arms around her waist, placing a kiss on each of her cheeks. When she dropped her hand he added a soft kiss to the tip of her nose.

"I'll kiss it better more later." He practically purred as she placed her hands on his chest. "Hell, let's see if I can hurt more places that need kissed better."

"You're such a pervert, Red." She couldn't help but laugh slightly as his eyes narrowed slightly, his grin slightly wicked

"An' proud of it."

* * *

"Now I'm just getting pissed off! Have you caste Haste?" Tifa whined as she looked up at the redhead from the mat once again. They had been coming here to train three nights a week, and even though it was only the beginning of the third week, Tifa was getting frustrated. She never fully appreciated how much she was at the peak of her fitness when they were chasing after Sephiroth. Reno gave her a shrug and stalked off to the other side of the ring.

"Sorry babe, but it's all me. I can't help it if I'm naturally fast." He managed to finish his sentence before he whipped round and caught Tifa's leg in midair as she swung a roundhouse kick at his head. She quickly spun out of his grasp and they began sparring at close range again. Tifa had ended every night feeling extremely bruised and sore, which led to a few awkward questions from her regular clients in the bar. It didn't help that Cloud had been home inbetween deliveries and noticed her wincing as she reached up to lift bottles off the top shelf. He had given her a quizzical look, but Tifa had simply given him a reassuring smile that she was okay and Cloud had given her a small nod in reply. They knew each other well enough to be able to speak without talking, and she knew that if she didn't say anything was wrong then Cloud wouldn't pry into her business. And truly nothing was wrong. In fact, for all the aches and pains Tifa felt almost alive again. Martial arts was practically in her blood, and although she had been stopping on her runs to practice for a while, it wasn't same as hitting a solid but moving target. It helped massively that Reno was actually putting up a fight and not giving her any leniency. She could already feel herself getting stronger, though not strong or fast enough to hit the red headed Turk.

"Ah hah! Wait, whoa!" Tifa's exclamation of success was quickly followed by a cry of surprise as she aimed a punch at Reno's shoulder that she was sure would connect, only to end up with her arm halfway up her back as Reno twisted round and behind her, incapacitating her. She groaned, the noise turning to a little gasp of pain as he pressed on her arm slightly.

"I know it's rich comin' from me, but yer too cocky. Yeah you're improvin', but you ain't back to yer old self yet." Reno smirked as he let her go. Tifa rubbed her arm gently and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't remember you ever being so quick before."

"That's cause I had my trusty EMR in those days so I didn't have to dodge much. I've actually slowed down a little." He swung his arms back and forth, leaning his head from side to side to stretch out his neck. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go again."

"Again? Man, I'm starved!" Reno rubbed his stomach for effect. Tifa dropped into a fighting stance with a small grin.

"Tell you what, if you can pin me, we go out for lunch. My treat. But if I manage to land a good hit, we train another hour then you treat me. Deal?"

"Oh Lockhart, you shouldn't have said that." Reno smirked widely and practically sprang at Tifa. She managed to twist out the way but he was on her again before she could react. She managed to fend off a few of his blows butbefore she knew it, she was on her back on the mats with Reno straddling her hips, his hands clasped around her wrists. She glared up at him.

"Now you're just showing off."

"Maybe. Or maybe you just really like being helpless beneath me." Reno gave her a wink as he leaned down so his face was inches from hers. Tifa squirmed to try and free herself but she was going nowhere fast. She was about to tell him to get off when he closed the gap between then and pressed his lips against hers. Despite herself, Tifa found herself leaning up into the kiss. She couldn't deny that working up a sweat with Reno in the gym was a little bit of a turn on for her. And she couldn't help the small sigh that left her lips as he moved to trail kisses along her jawline, her hips naturally lifting to press against him. She could feel her skin tingling where his lips had been, and she flexed her fingers, desperately wanting to bury them in his hair. Her rather inappropriate train of thought was suddenly interrupted.

"Y'know, that isn't what this room is for. I'm sure they make other rooms for this purpose." A familiar voice called out, a small hint of humour only detectable by those who knew the speaker. Reno tilted his head slightly with a grin, but didn't make any move to distance his lips from Tifa's skin, which was now flushed with embarrassment rather than arousal.

"Partner, you just love catching me at the worse times."

"Yeah well I didn't know you guys were in here. I thought you only used this place at night?"

"Weekend, dude. Tifa works late so we come in the morning, ain't that right Teef?" Reno brushed his lips against her neck, his breath tickling her skin. Tifa squirmed.

"Uh, Reno, don't you think you should, y'know, get off me?"

"Eh, you're no fun with an audience." The redhead grinned widely before he bounced back to to his feet, extending a hand to the brunette. Tifa took his hand and he pulled her to her feet in one swift motion. She brushed herself off and turned to face Rude, who was leaning against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest. He was dressed in his workout gear, though he was alone, obviously planning a few rounds against the punching bag. Reno wandered over to the door of the octagon and pulled it open before he made his way over to the bench, picking up a bottle of water and unscrewing the lid before he took a long drink. Rude walked over to him.

"You don't have to leave on my account. I was just planning on running for a while then using the bag."

"Meh, it's fine. Tifa owes me lunch anyway, right Teef?" Reno grinned over at her as she appeared beside him, picking up her own water and pretending to ignoring the mocking tone in his voice. Rude raised an eyebrow.

"She owes you?"

"Yep. She said if I could pin her, she was buyin' lunch."

"So you weren't just being a complete pervert as usual?"

"Hey! That's cold, yo!" Reno threw a look of mock shock at his partner, earning a small snigger in response. Tifa laughed behind her hand.

"He did bet me fair and square and I lost. I'm still so out of practice."

"Hmm. No offence, but you must be if this lazy kid can beat you these days." Rude said thoughtfully, earning another small laugh from Tifa and another glare from Reno.

"Who ya callin' a lazy kid? You know I can hold my own, partner."

"Oh yeah? Last few times we've sparred, I vaguely recall kicking your ass in record time."

"That ain't true and you know it!"

"Reno, even with your speed, I know I could beat you _so_ quickly."

"Oh you are fuckin' on, Rude! I could eat two lunches. Get in here!" Reno called over his shoulder as he jogged back into the ring. Rude gave Tifa a slightly apologetic look and she simply shrugged with a grin. Rude followed his partner into the ring and pulled the gate over behind him. Tifa walked over to the fencing and sat cross legged on the floor, carefully removing her gloves and the wraps around her fingers as she watched the two Turks stare each other down. Rude looked calm and collected, though she could see his muscles coiled like a spring. Reno looked cocky and yet relaxed as always, his fingers flexing into fists and relaxing again. Rude dropped into a fighting stance and extended one hand, curling his fingers in a come hither motion. Reno snorted and flung himself at the bald Turk.

Tifa was grateful for the fence inbetween them as she watched the two men fight, legs and arms flashing out here and there both in attack and defence. Reno's crimson ponytail whipped around as he practically bounced around Rude, but the older man caught every punch and kick with apparent ease. Tifa couldn't help her mouth from falling open as she watched them dance around the ring. For a moment they parted and then they clashed again before they could catch their breath. Tifa couldn't help a small gasp as Reno's head flew to the side thanks to a well landed right hook from Rude, but the redhead spun on his heel and came up behind his partner, hooking his arms under Rude's. Tifa remembered him catching her in the same hold and she thought Rude was done for, but as soon as the though had crossed her mind, Rude has twisted out of the hold and somehow pinned the redhead to the ground on his stomach, one arm shoved up behind his back. Reno let out a small growl and tried to squirm free, but Rude tightened the hold and Reno cursed. Tifa was on her feet, her fingers gently looped brought the gaps in the cage. How had Rude reversed that hold, and so quickly? She heard Reno gasp slightly as Rude applied more pressure.

"Fuck, alright, lemme go!" Reno whined, the seriousness gone now. Rude simply snorted and got to his feet. Reno rolled onto his back, arms splayed to the side. "Damn man, you didn't have to show me up so badly in front of my girl."

"You didn't have to run your mouth, but here we are." Rude gave him a small smile as he extended a hand, which the redhead took. Rude pulled him to his feet, and both men gave each other a knowing grin. Tifa couldn't help but give Rude a small applause.

"Rude, you have to show me how you got out of that hold so quickly!" Tifa beamed as the two men walked out of the cage, foreheads gleaming with sweat as they made their way to the bench. Reno rolled his eyes.

"Geez, no need ta fawn over him, Lockhart. I could teach you how you get out of it too." Reno took a long swig of his water as he handed an unopened bottle to Rude. Tifa put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but will you?"

"Probably not. It's too much fun watchin' you squirm." Reno gave her a grin and a wink. Rude simply shook his head.

"You wanna practice today before you guys head off for lunch?"

"No time like the present." Tifa grinned as she led the way back into the cage. 

* * *

"Today's not the day, Lockhart."

"Oh yes it is, Red. Today is the day!"

"It's not the day."

"It's the day!"

"...it's not the day."

"Hmph! Just you wait." Tifa stuffed her hands into the pockets of her oversized hoodie as she lengthed her stride slightly to pull away from Reno. It was a pointless exercise when he had those long legs of his. He was back at her side within seconds. Reno looped an arm through hers and grinned down at the petite brunette. She shot him a sideways glance that was only half annoyed.

"Okay, okay. Today's the day ya finally pin me in the ring. I'm actually lookin' forward to it." He nudged her with his hip as his grin took on a lewd turn. Tifa rolled her eyes but nudged him back.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's see if you're still in such good spirits when I kick your ass." She allowed a small grin of her own to spread across her lips as she tucked herself against his side. Although it was the middle of May, the morning air was a little cool. It had taken Tifa a bit of pleading and a smidgen of bribery to get Reno to come train with her this early in the day, but they hadn't sparred in almost two weeks. Thankfully, Rude had made time for her whilst Reno was stuck in the office catching up with paperwork before Tseng completely lost it with the redhead, meaning she had been sparring with someone new. And as Reno had warned her, Rude did not go easy on his training partners. As a result however, she felt stronger and faster thanks to his punishing regime. They reached the Turks private gym and made their way upstairs. Tifa bounded into the room and quickly stripped off her outer layers and wrapped her hands with practiced precision and speed. She had pulled on her gloves and was in the ring and warming up by the time Reno finished wrapped his own hands. He raised an eyebrow.

"Geez, you're eager." He rose from the bench and lazily wandered over to the ring. Tifa rested her hands on her hips and grinned at him, tilting her head slightly.

"Well, it's been and a while, and I kinda missed kicking your ass."

"Hah! We have a very different memory of previous sessions in this ring, Lockhart." Reno grinned as he cracked his knuckles. Tifa tossed her hair over her shoulder, the long braid she'd pulled it back into brushing against the bare skin of her lower back below her sports bra. She extended a hand and crooked one finger in the same come-hither movement Reno had shown her so many times and infuriated her in the process. Reno however simply grinned and flexed his fingers for a moment before he launched himself at her. Tifa couldn't help a small curse under her breath as she moved quickly to block. She had been a little cocky, forgetting just how fast Reno was. For all the good training was doing her, it was also dusting off his skills at the same time. She managed to block his attacks and even managed to his a glancing blow of his shoulder before she ended up on her back on the mat, the redhead leaning over her with a grin. She blinked a few times and his grin widened. She growled a little and jumped to her feet, throwing herself at him again.

Reno couldn't help but lick his lips as he managed to get Tifa in another hold a few moments later. As he suspected she would, she quickly got out of the hold and was on him again. Rude had been putting her through her paces, and Reno noticed she had gotten quicker. He was musing over the improvements in her techniques to himself when a fist flew past his face, causing loose strands of hair to shift in the gust of air that followed it. Reno grunted as he had to shift quickly to avoid another blow. The grin on his face had disappeared as Tifa suddenly upped her game, meaning he had to start paying full attention to avoid getting hit. They broke apart, both now breathing heavily from exertion. Reno saw the grin on Tifa face as she straightened up and pushed stray hairs from her face.

"Had enough yet, Red?"

"Of you, sweetheart? No chance." Reno let out a bark of laughter. Tifa smirked and launched herself at him again. Reno sidestepped to avoid her elbow and prepared to spin around behind her, but before he knew what was happening Tifa had dropped to the ground and swept a leg out from under him. He managed to catch himself before he went over, but the falter was enough for Tifa to get the upper hand. Reno barely had time to yelp in surprise before her arm struck out and he saw stars. He made a rather unflattering squealing noise as Tifa suddenly flipped him onto his back. He landed with a thud and when he opened his eyes to look up, Tifa was straddling him with a fist cocked back and a ridiculously large smirk on her face.

"Gotcha." Her eyes sparkled as he held his hands up in surrender. Tifa dropped her fist and grinned down at him.

"Fuckin' hell, Teef! Just try and break my nose, why dontcha?"

"Payback, Red." Tifa giggled, running a hand across her brow to wipe of the sweat. Reno grabbed her thighs and shifted to roll over so he was on top of her, but Tifa had obviously preempted it, and continued the roll so she was back on top again. She pinned his wrists under her knees and crossed her arms across her chest. "Nice try."

"Okay, ya got me. That was a bit obvious of me. Can I have my hands back now?"

"Maybe." Tifa laughed before she leaned forward, her arms still folded under her bust. She saw his eyes flick down to her chest before they came back up to meet hers. She grinned. "I told you today was the day."

"Yeah, yeah. Nothin' like bein' a sore winner." Reno wriggled his fingers slightly. Tifa deliberately applied more pressure to his wrists, placing her hands on his chest as she leaned further down so that her face was only a few inches from his. Her eyes shut slightly and Reno froze, unable to take his eyes off her.

"I think you're just worried because I'm almost back to the point when I can kick your ass up and down Edge."

"Lockhart, I welcome that. You know how much of a turn on it is to know your woman can throw _you_ around?" Reno grinned, his own eyes half shut now. Tifa tried her best not to squirm under his loaded gaze. She moved a little closer, attempting to stay in control as her breath tickled his lips.

"That so?"

"Fuck. Yes." Reno practically purred. Tifa never failed to be surprised by Reno's security in himself when it came to her being strong in more ways than one. Most guys wanted to be the alpha in the relationship, and felt intimidated by Tifa's strength. He never felt threatened by her. In fact, he actively encouraged her to get stronger. That alone caused a familiar warmth to start spreading low in her belly. She slid her hands up his chest, too busy focusing on his eyes to notice that she had shifted off his wrists until she felt his hands running up her thighs.

"So you don't mind me training with Rude too?"

"Hell naw. Train with 'Lena and Tseng too if it gets me in this position beneath you more often." He said softly against her lips. Tifa couldn't help but smile as she felt him shift up to try and kiss her, but she kept her lips just beyond his reach. She felt his hands grip her thighs in frustration.

"I dunno. You might get bored of me beating you all the time. Or I might get bored of kicking your ass easily."

"I'll train with the guys more often too. Make it a challenge for ya." He let out a low chuckle as Tifa sighed quietly when his hands moved to squeeze her hips. "I'll make sure ya never get bored of me." His voice hummed low in his throat. The adrenaline of fighting with her was rapidly manifesting in another way and he wasn't sure he was even talking about sparring anymore. He lifted his head and pressed his lips against hers, suddenly wanting to get her out of this ring and back to bed. Tifa seemingly sensed his eagerness and after enjoying the kiss for a few minutes, she pulled back and got to her feet. Reno stared up at her.

"I won't get bored of you." She said softly as she looked down at him, a small blush on her cheeks. He'd managed to turn around flirting to something else and she felt a small warmth in her chest. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and cleared her throat, attempt to regain the control she'd had a few moments ago. "However, since you've come down here and gotten me all sweaty, I think it's only fair you help me clean up." She grinned slightly as Reno blinked up at her, resting up on his elbows. He looked around before his eyes found hers again.

"Clean up?"

"Well, you remember after our first night together? I think a repeat performance is in order." Tifa turned and made her way back to her discarded clothing outside the ring. Reno only took a moment to flash back to the rather interesting bathing experience they'd shared in his bath and he dropped his head back down to the mat, dragging his hands down his face with a groan.

"Fuuuuck, Teef. I gotta leave here in loose sweatpants and you say stuff like that to me? After straddlin' me like that? I'm gonna need a couple of minutes." The redhead kept his hands over his face as he heard her laugh, trying desperately to calm his racing pulse.

"Fine. I guess I'll have to get started by myself." Tifa called over to him suggestively as she pulled her hoodie back on. By the time it was over her head, Reno had appeared at her side. Tifa let out a small yelp as Reno suddenly picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Fuck that. There's a shower room here." He grinned up at her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "And thanks to you bein' all suggestive, I dunno if I can wait til we get back to yours."

"But I don't have a change of clothes!" Tifa couldn't help but laugh as she protested, but Reno had already carried her out of the room and was making his way down the corridor to another door.

"Shoulda thought about that before ya started playin' with me, Lockhart." Reno grinned as he flung open the door to a locker room. "Now, let's get you a little more dirty."

* * *

AN : Da-da! Erm, yeah. I had an idea in my head about Reno and Tifa training together so this happened. I'll probably make this a collection of one-shots with these guys with any ideas or scenarios I have.

Do any of you guys have any ideas for me about things I should write about? I have too much fun with these two :)


	3. Nightmares

_Disclaimer : I do not own FFVII, Crisis Core, Advent Children, or any of the characters that you recognise. As much as I love these guys, they belong to those other guys._

 **WARNING. This chapter begins with quite a graphic (non sexual) dream sequence. Feel free to skip to the first line break if you don't want to read it.  
**

* * *

 _Darkness. Side to side, front to back, he couldn't see anything. He blinked once, twice, three times. He tried rubbing his eyes, but there was nothing. He clenched his hands into fists, a low growl in his throat despite the fact that he'd started trembling._

 _An ear piercing screech brought him to his knees, his hands pressed firmly over his ears and he squeezed his eyes shut. The sound rang out, making his heart race and his skin prickle. He was screaming now, or rather he thought he was. But he couldn't hear anything for the horrendous noise that rang in his ears._

 _It stopped as suddenly as it started, and he pressed his forehead against the cold ground, panting heavily. It was still pitch black, and he clung to the ground as he tried to slow his breathing. When he lifted his head, he could see a shape up ahead. There was a little bit of light now, and whatever it was in front of him was only just visible. He attempted to get back to his feet but his knees buckled, so he crawled forward slowly and hesitantly. He had barely made it a few metres when the screech sounded out again but this time it sounded more like a scream. The most horrendous scream he had ever heard and one he had heard before. He thought he had finally blocked it out for good. He clutched his ears and shut his eyes until it stopped again. Trembling even more, he started making his way forward again. The hard ground beneath his fingers suddenly felt sticky and warm and he scrunched his nose slightly but he pressed forward. He didn't even know what the shape up ahead was, but he felt compelled to reach it._

 _As he got closer, his heart started to race to the point where he could hear his heartbeat in his ears and feel it in his throat. The warm, sticky liquid had soaked through the knees of his trousers and his hands felt filthy, but he had a sudden feeling of foreboding. He stopped, trying to see what was on his hands, but the little light didn't offer much help. There was whispers in the darkness now, a soft voice that whimpered. He wasn't sure what it was saying. It sounded like his name, but he could have been imagining it. He cursed under his breath as he reached his goal. It was a person, or rather a body. He reached out a hand hesitantly and quickly withdrew it. Whoever it was, or had been, was stone cold, save for the same hot sticky liquid that covered the floor. He didn't have to see now to figure out what the liquid was. He settled back against his heels as he reached out again, gently placing his hand on the body's arm. He gulped as his mouth suddenly filled with saliva, the smell of blood making his tongue taste metallic. Taking a deep shaky breath, he pulled the body towards him._

 _A light, a flash. It illuminated everything for a moment but it was all he needed. He dropped back onto his hands and retched, bile filling his mouth as he screamed silently. In that split second, he had seen her face. Twisted in terror, her pale skin ripped and torn, her once pink lips a horrible blue-grey and her bright brown eyes usually flecked with crimson when she laughed were glazed and dull. Her head was caved in at one side, and her chest was slick with blood and gore. He groaned, tears streaming from his eyes as he heaved, liquid pouring from his mouth and splattering the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as his body shook, his shoulders twitching as his stomach tried to empty itself despite already having no contents with which to part with. He tried to scream but his throat felt raw and torn from vomiting up pure bile and he clenched his fists so tight his nails dug into his palms. He looked over at the body, tears blurring his vision as he tried to check her face again, praying that he'd been mistaken. He knew he hadn't been though. He knew every inch of that face, of her body, but the shell in front of him barely resembled her anymore. And whatever had happened to her had been brutal. And he hadn't been there to help. She didn't need protecting, but whatever had done this to her had been too much for even someone as strong as her. If he'd been there, he might have..._

 _"No... no, no, no, NO!"_

 _He retched again, his stomach twisting painfully. His chest and throat felt tight, but still he screamed. He clutched her limp hand tightly, ignoring the blood that almost caused her fingers to slip through his as he pulled her cold hand to his chest. He couldn't breathe. His chest heaved as he tried to suck in lungfuls of air but he felt like he was suffocating. She was gone, and he had let it happen. She would never laugh with him again. She wouldn't blush at his crude suggestions and lewd jokes. She wouldn't smile when he kissed either corner or her mouth. She wouldn't bit her lip when she was concentrating or trying to be quiet. Everything was gone and it was like the light in his life had been snuffed out._

 _He felt the darkness closing in, spots dancing in front of his eyes as he started to slip from consciousness. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was shouting her name at the top of his lungs._

* * *

"TIFA!" Reno sat bolt upright in bed, his skin drenched with sweat. His shoulders heaved as he pushed his fists into his eyes, trying desperately to rub away the image seared onto the back of his eyelids. He barely noticed the slender arms that wrapped themselves around him from behind and the soft voice that called to him, laced with confusion. He whipped around suddenly, his eyes snapping open in time to meet the large brown ones that were staring at him with concern and fear.

"Reno! Reno, I'm here!" Tifa gasped as he grabbed her forearms tightly, his turquoise eyes wild as he practically stared right through her. She repeated his name over and over softly as his eyes slowly focused in the low light. It was dawn, and they hadn't long gone to sleep when Reno had started thrashing around before he woke up screaming her name. Tifa bit her bottom lip, trying to ignore the fact that his fingertips were gripping her wrists so tightly she knew she'd be bruised in the morning. He seemed to realise and he left her go, and she instantly brought her hands up to cradle his head. Her eyes searched his, but he just shook his head before he practically collapsed onto her, his face buried against her legs as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. Tifa curled her arms around his head and leaned forward to bury her face in his hair. "Reno... what happened?"

"I can't... don't make me talk about it..." Reno's voice shook when he spoke and Tifa felt her stomach drop. She had never heard him sound like that before and her natural instinct to protect went into overdrive. She shifted their bodies so they were lying side by side in bed, his head against her chest and his legs curled up and tangled with hers. She kept one arm tightly around him, holding him firm against her as the other gently stroked his hair. His breathing was still heavy, but she could feel him relaxing into her touch even though his fingers were clinging tightly to the back of her tshirt. He was soaked with sweat, but Tifa didn't want to speak unless he spoke first. She felt him shift slightly and she moved to place a kiss on the top of his head. Before she managed, Reno had moved suddenly and had pressed his lips against hers almost painfully, like they couldn't physically get close enough. She raised a hand to stroke his cheek and couldn't help but tense slightly when she felt moisture on his skin.

 _Is Reno... crying?_

Tifa's concern shot to new levels. She remembered that Reno had told her he left Edge before due to horrendous night terrors that had led to him almost killing Rude. She hoped this wasn't them returning. If it was, she knew how Reno would react. He would take himself away from anyone and everyone he could hurt. Away from her. She couldn't help herself from wrapping her arms around him tightly, her lips suddenly matching his with their intensity. Apparently that concerned Reno however, and he pulled back ever so slightly, his breath coming fast and hard as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare ya." Reno mumbled softly, placing a soft kiss at either corner of her mouth. Tifa's fingers squeezed his skin as he kissed her over and over again, so softly it was almost frustrating. She moved her hands up to hold either side of his head, holding him still as she looked into his eyes. He gave her a lopsided smile, but even in the low light of the room she could see it was half-assed compared to his usual carefree grins.

"You didn't. Well, you did, but it's alright. You're okay, right?" She asked somewhat tentatively. Reno simply leaned forward gave her a long and passionate kiss, his arms pulling her body flush to his. Tifa's head spun and it took everything she had to pull back a little. "Reno..."

"I don't wanna talk. Not right now. Just... please..." He spoke the last word so softly Tifa almost didn't hear it. But she did, and her heart skipped a beat as he looked at her in a way he never had before. She sighed softly and leaned forward to press her lips against his. Her skin tingled as he moved to kiss down her neck, shifting so that he was on top of her. Despite her burning curiosity and concern for whatever he'd seen in his dream to make him react the way he had, her blood started to rush in her veins as Reno's lips hungrily claimed every inch of her skin as he pulled her tshirt up and over her head. If this was the only comfort he wanted right now, she would gladly give it to him and do her best to make him forget whatever had happened in his head.

Questions later, when he was ready.

* * *

It had been three weeks since Reno's nightmare. He had done a brilliant job of avoiding questions about that night like the plague, although his usual carefree demeanor had seemingly returned. His sex drive had gone through the roof too, like he physically _needed_ Tifa to survive almost, but he had stopped staying over which had concerned Tifa. She always fell asleep in his arms after sex, but woke up alone every morning. He was always quick to call her when he knew she'd be awake, generally full of apologies and excuses about Tseng or Rude needing him, or saying he couldn't sleep and didn't want to wake her up. Tifa had tried to protest, but he always expertly shifted the conversation. She was getting frustrated, but at the same time she didn't want to push him away by demanding an explanation. She couldn't last much longer without answers though, and her weekly sparring session with Rude was a perfect opportunity to try and get information.

When Tifa turned up to the private gym that the Turks used for working out, Rude was already there and on the treadmill. He gave a small nod to acknowledge her as she came in and put her bag in the corner before she sat down and started wrapping her hands. By the time she pulled her gloves on, Rude had finished with his cardio and had headed into the ring to wait for her. He was a man of few words, but Tifa always suspected he had a small soft spot for her in the past so she was hoping that translated into him trusting her enough to answer her questions about a certain redhead. She followed Rude into the ring and stretched a little before they began to spar. By the third time Tifa was knocked on her ass, she was pissed at herself.

"Distracted today." Rude stated as he extended a hand to help her up off the mat. Tifa huffed slightly and took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. She brushed herself off and sighed.

"Yeah. It's just Reno..."

"The night terrors." Rude made for the door of the cage, obviously sensing she wanted to talk rather than fight. Tifa followed him out and gave him a nod of thanks as he handed her a bottle of water.

"Yeah. He told you?"

"No. But I know Reno pretty well. He's quiet. Well, quiet for Reno." Rude scoffed slightly and Tifa couldn't help but laugh. They both say on the bench, sipping at their water.

"I've never seen him that. He was scared. Actually scared. And he wouldn't talk to me." Tifa picked absentmindedly at the label on her water bottle. Rude turned his head to look at her, his soft brown eyes narrowed slightly. Without his sunglasses, Tifa almost found it a little uncomfortable to hold eye contact with him since she wasn't used to being able to see his eyes.

"He wouldn't speak to you?"

"No. He actually sorta begging me to not ask him anything, and ever since then he hasn't stayed over." Tifa felt her cheeks flush a little. Rude looked down at his hands.

"I'll speak to him, find out what actually happened. He isn't staying over in case he has another one and hurts you. I don't think Reno could forgive himself if he actually hurt you like that. He's never felt that way about anyone for a very long time." Rude stood up, missing the look Tifa was giving him.

"He hasn't... Urm..." Tifa's cheeks burned. Rude picked up his sunglasses and put them on before he looked at her, a small smile on his lips.

"That's his business to tell you."

"Oh. Yeah. I guess it is."

"Don't worry. He's an idiot, but he's not that stupid as to keep how he feels hidden forever." Rude gave her another small smile before he left, leaving Tifa alone and even more confused than before, now about more than one thing.

* * *

"Dude."

"Aw fuck, what have I done wrong now?" Reno groaned as he set his beer down on his lap. He should have seen this coming. Rude had made a point of inviting him over for a beer at his place rather than heading to one of their usual bars. He'd also done so after Elena and Tseng had left, ensuring that it would just be the two of them. Usually that wouldn't be suspicious, the two partners enjoyed each other's company, but Reno knew what this was about already.

"Come on."

"Listen, I'm fine. It wasn't as bad as the old ones. In fact it was totally different. But that almost scared me more cause I didn't know what was comin'." Reno leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the beer bottle in his hands. Rude couldn't help but notice the redhead picked at his label like Tifa did.

"She's worried."

"Aw fuck, Tifa spoke to you about it?"

"Not much. She just wants to know if you're okay. She doesn't really know what happened."

"That makes two of us." Reno snorted before he downed the rest of his bottle. He got up and helped himself to another from Rude's fridge before he rejoining his partner on the couch. "It was just...ugh, I don't wanna fuckin' talk about this." Reno frowned deeply. Rude just looked at him. They sat in silence for a bit, taking drinks sporadically but saying nothing. Reno shifted in his seat and Rude smiled slightly. He knew his friend didn't do well in silence. "She was in it."

"Tifa was?" Rude raised an eyebrow. Usually in the past, Reno didn't see people he knew in his nightmares. And if he did, they were usually against him. Reno sighed deeply.

"Yeah. It was pitch black. There was _that_ screech. A noise I haven't heard in a long time. Proper freaked me out. And when I finally could see, she was there." Reno drifted off, his head dropping. Rude noticed his hands shaking. The sound the Sector 7 plate had made as it fell had haunted Reno for a long time, but that had been so long ago.

"Was she...?"

"Brutally. I couldn't stop bein' sick. I've never fuckin' felt like that. I couldn't breathe. It..." Reno squeezed his eyes shut. Rude clapped a hand on his shoulder and Reno opened his eyes again and gave his partner a weak smile. "I can't go back to this, man. I haven't slept. If they start again..."

"You're not leaving again. She's here now, and you can't do that to her now."

"Fuck, Rude, don't you think I wanna avoid that? Leaving Tifa..." Reno sighed and rubbed his eyes, suddenly looking as exhausted as he felt from the lack of sleep.

"You love her."

It wasn't a question, but Reno froze. His mouth went dry and he felt his heartbeat speed up slightly.

"I.. I dunno, man. I mean, love is... I don't know if I can even... Fuck this, I can barely strying a sentence together." Reno laughed as he sat back against the couch, but it was humourless. His exhaustion was catching up with him. For some reason, talking it out with Rude always helped him, yet he still fought against it every time.

"Speak to her. She needs to hear it from you."

"Yeah. I don't really wanna tell her that I saw her dead body in a dream and freaked out but I guess it's gotta be done."

"I didn't mean about the dream." Rude looked over at the redhead, who sighed deeply and got off the couch. He heard Reno grumbling 'I know, I know' under his breath as he made his way to Rude's spare room to crash out. The bald Turk smiled slightly and drained his own beer. Reno would make more sense in the morning after finally getting some sleep.

* * *

Tifa groaned softly and nuzzled her face into the pillow, attempting to block out the sunlight that filled her room. She had no idea what time it was, but she didn't want to get up just yet. She had found it difficult to fall asleep without Reno, which both annoyed her and gave her a slightly fuzzy feeling. He had been working for Reeve and hadn't had a lot of free time, and the bar had been super busy so it had been perfect timing since she was generally so exhausted after work that she simply fell into bed ready to sleep. But Barret and Cloud had been around last night and insisted she finish early and take today off to catch up on sleep. It had sounded perfect to Tifa, but now lying in her huge bed on her own felt like a waste.

She sighed softly and stretched her arms out to the side, suddenly freezing when she brushed something warm. She lifted her head slowly and was met with shining turquoise eyes and a wide grin. The wide grin broke into laughter as she hit his arm.

"Reno! You scared the crap out of me!"

"I ain't even sorry." Reno laughed loudly as he grabbed her and rolled so that she was on top of him. She slapped his chest and attempted to glare at him, but the feeling of waking up next to him again left her feeling warm and happy. He curled his arms around her and grinned up at her. He was still in his Turk suit, and Tifa blushed a little when his hands skimmed the back of her thighs under her little pyjama shorts. The temperature had been rising and she had to ditch the pair of sweatpants Reno had given her, but she couldn't quite part with the baggy black tshirt just yet. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"How long have you been lying there waiting for me to notice you?"

"I'm not givin' that away. That's no fun." She felt him chuckle underneath he as he slid a hand up to rub her back. "Long enough. You're so lazy these days, sleepin' in."

"Hey, I haven't been sleeping well!" The words were out before Tifa realised what she'd said. She mentally cursed herself. Reno probably hadn't slept in a month, and here she was complaining about one rough night. She felt her cheeks fill with warmth.

"Not my fault." She felt him shrug. She lifted her head slightly to look at him.

"Actually, it kinda is."

"You strugglin' without me tirin' you out before ya fall asleep?" Reno grinned at her and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Maybe..." She rested her head back on his shoulder. _Or is it just that I miss you in general?_ Tifa thought to herself as she bit her lip. She sighed softly as he traced shapes into her bare skin on her lower back.

"Yeah. About that. I hafta apologise." She heard his tone of voice turn solemn and his fingers stilled on her back. Tifa tucked her head up against his neck, her eyes drifting shut as she gently nuzzled her nose against his skin. She heard him sigh softly.

"It's alright."

"Naw, it ain't. We started whatever this is bein' honest with each other, it ain't fair for me to suddenly start hidin' stuff and just expect you ta be okay with it." His fingers started moving again and Tifa felt her skin tingle.

"Thank you." She slipped a hand into the gaping collar of his half buttoned shirt, needing to feel the warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips. She could feel his heart beating slow and steady under her hand.

"Yeah. Don't thank me just yet." He snorted slightly. "I haven't told ya what happened in that dream yet."

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I do and I don't. But I gotta be honest with you. It was different from the past ones. Usually I'm fightin', and losin'. In this one I was already too late." The tone in his voice changed and Tifa had to fight the urge to look up at him. She figured talking was probably easier for him if he could feel her against him but not see her watching him.

"Too late for what?"

"To save you." Reno answered simply. Tifa couldn't help but pull back to look at him.

"Me?"

"Yeah. You." Reno couldn't help but smile as he brought up his free hand to stroke her cheek. "Call it weird seein' as we used ta fight against each other, but that was not somethin' I ever wanna see again. I dunno where it came from but it can stay there for all I care." Reno grumbled, the hand from Tifa's cheek moving to rest on top of the hand she had rested in his chest.

"Is that why you wanted to... Y'know, right after you woke up?" Tifa settled her head against his shoulder again and she felt him chuckle more than heard it.

"Yeah. Just had to make sure you were livin' and breathin' and here with me. I know that sounds stupid." He tilted his head to rest against hers. Tifa could have sworn she felt his heartbeat speed up a little. "That mental image of losin' you made me want you even more." He slid the hand that was resting on her back to her hip and squeezed gently. Tifa laughed softly and squirmed a little.

"I noticed. Not that I'm complaining."

"Thank the gods for that." Reno grinned widely and shifted to look down at her. Tifa moved to lean up on one elbow so she could look at him.

"I'm also not complaining that you wanted to speak to me about this. I know you really didn't want to so it actually means a lot to me that you made the effort to let me in the loop. I, uh... Thanks, Reno." Tifa dipped her head slightly, her cheeks flushing with colour. Her and Reno's relationship was mostly based on physical communication so she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at trying to put her feelings into words. Reno being Reno couldn't help but want to tease her for her vulnerability. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled so that he was above her, giving her nowhere to hide. Tifa attempted to cover her face with her hands and he grabbed her wrists, grinning widely as she squirmed and tried to hide her blush.

"If I knew how cute ya would get, I woulda told ya right away." Reno laughed. Tifa whined slightly. "Aw come on, don't be embarrassed!"

"You're mean! I'm trying to be nice here and you just tease me! I wouldn't tease you if you were telling me anything about your feelings." Tifa pouted slightly. She almost didn't notice Reno's face change slightly, but when she did she noticed he was now the one squirming.

"Uh, yeah. About that. I, uh, ain't good at tellin' women how I feel about them. Not that I've felt like this about lots of women. Well, any women really. Or any guys. Well there was one who I liked a lot, but it wasn't like this ya know? Different connection and uh..." Reno trailed off as Tifa stated at him incredulously. He rubbed the back of his head, feeling his own cheeks warming up now. Tifa placed a hand on his chest and felt his heart pounding.

"Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you trying to say here?"

"I have no fuckin' idea." The redhead couldn't help but laugh. "This is all Rude's fault. He said I should talk to ya and that dream shoulda taught me not to take you for granted. But I don't even know what I feel myself yet but I just wanted to tell you that I feel...somethin'. Fucking Shiva, I sound like 'Lena." Reno rolled his eyes and it was Tifa's turn to burst out laughing. He looked down at her and grinned. "I really dunno where I'm goin' with this. But yeah. This is somethin'."

"This is something." Tifa couldn't help but grin widely as she leaned up to kiss him. She could practically feel the relief rolling off him in waves now that she had let him off the hook with his rambling. Whatever he was trying to say, she did want to hear it from his lips one day, but for now the fact that he wanted to try and show her that he really did have feelings for her was enough.

"I hope to fuck that next time you ask me about feelin's you at least let me have a drink. I reckon I'll probably waffle on less." Reno smirked as he sat up so he was straddling her, pulling his suit jacket off before he started unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. Tifa couldn't help but laugh again.

"Maybe. Or I might make sure you're sober so I know you're being honest."

"A drunk mouth speaks a sober mind." Reno winked at her as he tossed his shirt aside before he leaned down and kissed her again. "That's my excuse, anyway."

"I'll try and remember that."

* * *

AN : Somehow I managed to churn out a full chapter yesterday! Hurrah! This turned out pretty fluffy. I just had the idea of the recurrence of the night terrors I'd mentioned Reno had in Off The Path. And if anything, it would be a perfect opportunity for Reno to realise how he feels about Tifa.

Many thanks to to you guys for favouriting and reviewing the fic! Mega thanks to Jasien for the suggestions for more chapters! I'm so excited to try and write stuff based on your ideas :)


	4. Reno : Barman Extraordinaire

_Disclaimer : I do not own FFVII, Crisis Core, Advent Children, or any of the characters that you recognise. As much as I love these guys, they belong to those other guys._

* * *

"I. Am. Exhausted. And sore. And exhausted."

Reno raised an eyebrow as Tifa dropped unceremoniously onto the bed beside him, her feet still hanging off the end. He gave her a rather unsympathetic pat on the head and she turned her head to give him a half-assed glare.

"You should hire more help."

"I'm aware of that, Captain Obvious." She groaned as she rolled over so that she was lying on her side, tucked herself in against Reno's side. He curled one arm under her head and started rubbing her back gently and she sighed softly. "It's just awkward. The nature of the business, I need it to be someone I can trust because of all the cash that changes hands. I also need someone who can keep up, we're so busy right now I don't have time to be fixing someone's mistakes." She closed her eyes and rested a hand on his chest, soothed by his fingers gently tracing her spine.

"Start them on a quiet day and build them up to weekends? You gotta do somethin', the bar is gettin' busier the bigger Reeve builds the city." Reno pointed out. Tifa let out another sigh.

"I know. And it's great that I'm so busy, but ugh. Another vacation sounds amazing right about now."

"Well, it's not gonna beat the last one. I mean, you came back from that holiday with the ultimate souvenir." Reno grinned down at her and she looked up at him, blinking blankly. Reno rolled his eyes. "Me, Teef. We met again when you took time off. Geez, you really ARE tired."

"Sorry." She yawned as if to reiterate her point. "Either that or your jokes are just really terrible."

"Well, that's a given, but you usually still catch them at least." Reno chuckled slightly as his hand moved up to gently stroke the back of her head, his fingers sliding through her hair. Tifa moaned softly and melted against him, earning a small grin from him.

"True. I'm afraid I'm not gonna be much use to you tonight, I so need sleep. And that feels sooo good I might just pass out right now." She mumbled against his chest, her eyes drifting shut as he played with her hair. Reno laughed softly and shook his head.

"It's fine. I have no plans tomorrow anyway so it's not like I shoulda been at home tonight. Here, if ya want to sleep, at least get into bed properly." He shifted slightly, pulling her with him and maneuvering them both so they were under the covers. Tifa gave him a sleepy grin as she settled back against him.

"Sorry, dad." She joked as she stuck her tongue out at him. Reno snorted in reply as he leaned over to his the switch on the lamp Tifa kept on the bedside cabinet at his side of the bed. As he settled back against, the pillow, Tifa curled an arm around his waist and he could hear her yawning again.

"Ya know, I could help out on the bar tomorrow if ya want? I know my way around the stock."

"Yeah, to drink it!" Tifa laughed as she sat up slightly to look at him, his turquoise eyes shining even in the dark room. He feigned offense.

"Why, Lockhart! Are you sayin' I have a drinkin' problem?"

"Yeah, not just that you have two hands and one mouth." She snorted, earning a bark of laughter from the redhead.

"I'm serious! I can work a bar. Help with drinks, flirt with the patrons for tips, and I get to accidentally bump into you on purpose when you're bendin' over to get stuff from the low fridges." Reno's lips curled into a lewd grin as Tifa hit him playfully in mock annoyance.

"Firstly, most of the patrons are older men and I'm pretty sure you're not their type. And also, is that meant to make me WANT to say yes?"

"Okay, maybe I was kiddin' about the second two. Maybe. But why not? I can't make it worse."

"Not sure about that." Tifa rolled her eyes as she settled back down against him with another yawn. "I'll think about it."

"Hey, the offer is there. I was just gonna hang out with Rude and Karisa anyway." Reno started playing with her hair again and he felt her soften against him again. He had noticed in the past that Tifa ran her fingers through his hair a lot and wondered if she enjoyed it in return as much as he did. The answer to that was a resounding yes.

"Thank you. It's very sweet of you." Tifa managed to thank him softly just before she drifted off to sleep, a small smile on her lips as his fingers gently coaxed her into a deep sleep.

* * *

"No way! The peanut butter goes on first, THEN the jam!"

"You're insane. It's clearly jam first."

"Nuh uh! Tifa, tell him!" Marlene turned to the brunette just as she walked in the kitchen door in the midst of the most important discussion of the week so far in the young girl's mind. Reno was leaning against the counter, her arms folded across his chest and his eyes glittering with mischief. Tifa had been surprised to wake up after the redhead for a change, and even more surprised that the resident 8-year-old had let her sleep in on a Saturday. Denzel sat at the table munching on his cereal, trying to hide his amusement at the childish argument. Cloud was the young boy's hero, and it resulted in him trying to emulate the blond's stoic façade often. But his age was winning out here, and generally Reno was able to bring out the more childish emotions in the 11-year-old.

"I dunno... Jam first can work sometimes..." Tifa tapped her chin with her finger, pretend to think long and hard about the clearly important opinion. Marlene's mouth hung open in surprise and she rounded on Reno, who gave her a shrug.

"Told ya. Peanut butter first is for weirdos." The redhead stuck his tongue out at the girl before he grinned and turned around to apply said spread to the pieces of toast on the counter. Marlene stomped her foot and folded her arms.

"You're both crazy! Tifa, you've spent too much time with Reno, he's turned you mad!"

"Well, you're not wrong there." The brunette gave Marlene as wink as she walked over to kiss Reno on the cheek and whisper a small 'thank you' in his ear for keeping the kids entertaining while she had a well needed lie in. Reno scoffed slightly as he finished with the toast and plated it up, carrying one of the plates over to the small table and putting it in front of the empty seat as Marlene slid into it across from Denzel.

"I think it's the other way around, Lockhart. You've got me practically fuckin' domesticated." The Turk turned back to his own plate on the counter just as Marlene gasped loudly for effect.

"Reno!" Tifa scolded as the Turk raised his sandwich to his mouth.

"Okay, maybe not THAT domesticated yet..."

"Ooooo, Reno, you said a bad word!" Marlene giggled as she took a bit out of her PBJ sandwich. Denzel tried to hide another smile behind his spoon as Reno rolled his eyes at Tifa.

"The stuff her dad comes out with and she catches me for that." The redhead mumbled as he took another bite of his sandwich. Tifa couldn't help but laugh as she poured herself a coffee.

"Not the point! Last thing we need is Barrett coming back to find out you've taught his daughter some choice curse words."

"Hell, he might be impressed, based on his own vocabulary." Reno suggested. Tifa shook her head and raised her mug to her mouth, taking a deep breath before she sipped at the warm liquid, sighing as it slid down her throat and warmed her from the inside. The four worked on their respective breakfasts in silence for a few moment before Reno finished his sandwich and put his plate back on the counter. He bumped Tifa's hip with his own and gave her a grin. "So... ya want the help of one expert and extremely good looking red-headed barman tonight?"

"Oh Reno, are you going to be working on the bar with us tonight?" Marlene beamed as she looked over at him. Tifa suspected the young girl had a little crush on the Turk, although god forbid Barrett figured that out. Reno beamed right back at her.

"If Tifa allows it, yeah! We'll be like the Dream Team." Reno walked over to stand behind Denzel, who had turned in his seat to look up at him.

"You can help me carry up the bottles, Reno." Denzel offered in his soft voice. Reno ruffled his hair, earning a small noise that was half annoyance and half amusement.

"Sure thing, short stuff. I'll help you guys with whatever you want."

"Will you help me with the cleaning, Reno?" Marlene was kneeling on her chair now and leaning across the table towards her, her brown eyes sparkling. Reno gave her a wink and the girl dipped her head to hide the pink blush on her cheeks.

"Sure thing. You'll keep me on the right track, right Marlene?"

"Right!" She giggled as she hopped off her chair and ran off to get changed out of her pyjamas. Denzel slid off his chair at a slower pace and put his empty bowl in the dishwater. He gave Reno a small smile before he ran off after Marlene. Reno turned to Tifa with a wide grin and saw her glaring at him with her arms folded under her bust.

"What?"

"You know what."

"I have no idea what yer talkin' about."

"Roping the kids into it so now I have to say yes to you working the bar? That's low even for you, Red." Tifa huffed as the redhead walked over to her and slid his arms around her waist, leaning back slightly so he could look her in the eyes.

"You were gonna say yes anyway, weren't you? The kids can only do so much even though they love helpin' out. I can help after they've gone to bed too. Come on, it'll be fun!" He grinned widely at her before he leaned forward and placed a kiss at each corner of her mouth. She squirmed slightly and turned her head as if she was was trying to avoid him, but he quickly caught her lips with his and pressed himself against her. It had been five months now since they had started their romance, but Tifa still couldn't help herself from melting into his arms when he kissed her like that. With a sigh of resignation, she slid her arms up his and curled them around his neck, leaning up on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. She felt Reno grin slightly before he pulled her tightly against him. She was start to lose herself in the kiss when a small voice interrupted from the doorway.

"Um, Tifa?"

Tifa pulled out of Reno's arms quickly, her cheeks flushed with colour as she turned to observe Denzel. He was looking down at his feet as he scuffed his shoes against the wood floor. Reno, unabashed as always, gave the young boy a wide smile.

"What's up, short stuff?"

"Marlene wants to know if we can go get fresh flowers for the hanging baskets outside? She says the others have died and Aeris would be annoyed if people had to look at wilted flowers." The sandy haired boy looked up at them. Tifa tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled, but Reno noticed her shoulders stiffened slightly. It didn't matter how many years passed, Tifa still missed her friend terribly. Before she could answer, Reno stepped forward.

"Why don't I take you guys to the church and you can pick some fresh ones?" The redhead stopped in front of the boy and gave him a grin. Denzel's smile widened further than Reno had ever seen before.

"Will you? Marlene would love that. I'd like it too." The boy gave a nod and looked round Reno at Tifa, who gave him a small smile and nodded in return. Denzel gave her a thumbs up and ran off to tell Marlene the good news. Reno looked over his shoulder at Tifa with a small shrug and a mock salute before he headed off to get changed. Tifa wrapped her arms around her stomach, her own smile so wide that her cheeks almost hurt as a warm feeling spread through her chest despite the fact that she'd long finished her coffee.

Marlene had gotten used to having Reno around fairly quickly, probably on account of the fact that she was used to being around the bar and being able to handle strangers since she was very young. Denzel however had taken a little longer to adjust, and had been very quiet around the redhead at first. However, Reno's enthusiasm to life in general was infectious, and although he didn't push Denzel too much for conversation, his interactions with Marlene had slowly brought the young boy out of his shell. And even though he was still pretty withdrawn by most people's standards, Tifa knew that he had actually warmed to Reno a lot. It was something she was worried would never happen due to the boy's closeness with Cloud. But Cloud being Cloud, he had left Denzel to make up his own mind about the redhead, despite that fact that he was still a bit uncomfortable acting casually around the Turk himself. Although Marlene and Denzel weren't her children by blood, she was fiercely protective of them and they were a firm fixture in her life now and always. She couldn't help but be surprised how respectful Reno was of that, despite the fact she still had moments of doubt where whatever it was that they had was actually going. But surely he wouldn't be making so much effort if he didn't care about her?

Tifa rubbed her arms before she poured herself a second cup of coffee, a small smile still present on her lips. With Reno taking care of the kids, Tifa could enjoy her morning and relax until it was time to open the bar. She would have to let him know how grateful she was later on.

* * *

"Tifaaaaa! We're back!" Marlene skipped through the door of the bar, the basket in her arms laden with fresh lilies. Denzel and Reno followed behind the energetic girl, similar cargo in their hands. Tifa put away the last few clean glasses and rounded the bar to kneel in front of Marlene. She gave the girl a wide smile as she ran her fingers gently over the petals of a vibrant yellow flower.

"They're beautiful! You really have been taking great care of them. Aeris would be so happy." The brunette tapped the smaller girl on the nose, making her giggle. After Aeris's flower bed had flooded with healing waters, Marlene had grown sad that he flowers no longer bloomed, so they had opened up another area of the floor of the church to reach the rich soil. Tifa had been worried that without Aeris and her magic hands, no new flowers would bloom in the old ruins, but Marlene had been determined. With Cloud's help, the girl had managed to sew some seeds and after a few months of hard work, some flowers had finally bloomed. Now, a year on, the flowers were positively breathtaking in the dullness that still loomed around Edge, and Marlene had insisted on hanging baskets of the vibrant flowers outside the bar to catch people's eyes. It certainly worked.

Getting to her feet, Tifa looked over at Reno and gave him a small smile. The redhead grinned in return.

"There really is an impressive amount of flowers in that old church. We didn't even bring half of them. Marlene thought it would be nice to have some around the apartment too." Reno informed her as he placed his basket into the table. Tifa nodded and looked down at Marlene.

"That's a wonderful idea. Why don't you take them upstairs and I'll go collect the baskets, then you can arrange them for me." Tifa tilted her head slightly, tucking a strand of hair behind Marlene's ear. The girl smiled widely and nodded before taking Denzel's hand and pulling him towards the stairs. The boy blushed but a small smile crept across his lips as he followed his friend's lead. Reno laughed and shook his head.

"She's a bossy little one. She had Denzel following her every command. Not that I think he minded, definite soft spot there." Reno grinned as her moved to give Tifa a small kiss hello. Tifa laughed and rested her hands on his chest.

"He'll be heartbroken when he realises Marlene has a little crush on you, then."

"Who can blame her. I am extremely cute." Reno gave her a wink before he picked the basket back up off the table and followed the two children upstairs. Tifa shook her head and grabbed a chair before taking it outside to stand on so she could reach the baskets. This little Saturday of domestic bliss was turning out to be one of her favourites. She was almost loathe to open the bar and spoil it.

* * *

"Oh gods." Tifa cursed under her breath as another bang on the bar let her know an already impatient customer was getting to the end of their tether. Since she'd opened, there had been a steady flow of customers, but nothing too horrendous. As soon as 7pm had hit, it was like a bus load of people had arrived at the bar and all of them wanted completely different orders. It was now 8pm and Reno had just left her to make sure the kids had headed upstairs and gotten ready for bed. It wasn't like him to get involved with them, but she figured this was part of the 'helping' he'd insisted on doing tonight. She quickly grabbed three bottles of beer from one of the low fridges and opened them before placing them down in front of the impatient woman at the end of the bar. The woman snorted and tossed down her Gil before she walked off with her drinks. Tifa let out a quiet sigh and moved to place the Gil in the register.

"Another busy one, Teef."

"You're not kidding, Marcus." Tifa beamed over her shoulder as the familiar voice of one of her favourite regulars called over to her. She set about pouring his usual pint of Guinness. Marcus leant forward on the bar and motioned to the space the woman had just vacated next to him.

"She's a pleasant one. I take it she's new and doesn't know you could kick her ass."

"There will be no ass kicking today, Marcus." Tifa laughed as she finished with his drink and set it in front of him. He wrapped his fingers round it with a smile.

"Yeah I know, Teef. Always the professional. Tab as usual, please."

"Sure thing. Just lemme know when you need a refill."

"You're the best, Tifa." Marcus gave her a wink as he slid off the stool to go join a table of his friends, just as Reno rejoined her behind the bar. He looked after Marcus before he turned back to her.

"Old friend?"

"One of my regulars. He's always polite and he always keeps an eye out for me, and he tips well too."

"Hmm. Sounds like Marcus has a little thing for you." Reno grinned as he took a swig of the open bottle of beer he'd stashed for himself under the bar. Tifa rolled her eyes and groaned.

"He doesn't have a thing for me. He's just a nice guy."

"Yeah, yeah. I believe ya, thousands wouldn't." Reno chuckled as he put his drink back out of sight and went to go serve a group of young girls who burst into giggles as soon as he approached them. Tifa bit her bottom lip as she watched him lean across the bar towards the girls on crossed arms and they all giggled again. She rolled her eyes again just as Reno called over to her. "Hey, Teef. Round of cocktails over here. They all want surprises. Whatever you recommend."

"Yeah, that's not all they want." Tifa mumbled under her breath as she set out four cocktail glasses and went to making four different drinks. She immediately chastised herself for jumping to the same conclusion Reno had done with Marcus. Maybe the girls were just being friendly. Reno suddenly appeared beside her, breaking her train of thought and grabbing the four drinks before placing a quick kiss on her cheek and throwing her a wink as he left with the drinks. Tifa blushed, still not used to public displays of affection, but she found herself feeling a little smug when she noticed the group of girls suddenly looked a little disappointed when Reno returned to them with their order. She snorted as one of them leaned across the bar and pulled her Gil out of her bra, slowly. Reno however simply took the cash with a grin and turned to get her change. Tifa shook her head, more at herself. She should have learned by now that although Reno had been with his fair share of partners in the past, when he was with someone he didn't let his loyalty wander. She smiled to herself and went to serve a group who had just arrived.

* * *

"Y'know, I still think ya should have just kicked her ass." Marcus laughed as Tifa slid his drink towards him. The impatient woman from earlier had grown more and more rude as the evening had gone on, and she even taken to flirting outrageously with Reno. Even going as far as to grab his ass as he walked past her to collect glasses. Reno being Reno had laughed it off and brushed the woman off with one of his witty one liners, but Tifa had actually seen red for a moment. It wasn't okay or anyone to grab her while she was working, therefore it wasn't okay for it to happen to Reno. That's what she convinced herself anyway. Tifa didn't like jealousy, but she couldn't help it when someone was grabbing at her man.

 _Yes, my man._

"It's fine. Some people just can't handle their liquor." Tifa grinned as she leant on the bar, tucking her hair behind her ear. Marcus nodded knowingly and took a sip of his drink.

"Speaking of liquor. A round of tequila, please Teef. And one for yourself."

"Oh come on! You know I don't like drinking when I'm working." She scolded although she was smiling. Marcus gave her an innocent shrug before he grinned widely.

"It's last orders, Tifa. And you deserve it after dealing with that horrid woman for how many hours?"

"Seven. And you're right." Tifa laughed as she lined up four shot glasses and poured tequila into them. She grabbed a salt shaker from behind the bar and four lime wedges. "Don't think this is going to be a nightly occurence every time someone rude comes in."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Marcus laughed as he licked his hand and poured some salt on. Tifa did the same and wrinkled her nose as she picked up the glass. Marcus clinked his with hers and they both licked their hands, downed their shots, and bit into their limes. Tifa gave a small shudder.

"Oh god. Bad memories." She coughed as Marcus laughed. He grabbed the other two drinks and went back to his table. Tifa washed her hands, shaking her head slightly.

"Shots on the job! Lockhart, I am shocked." Reno appeared beside her with a grin on his face. She rolled her eyes as he bumped her hip with his. "Looks like ol' Marcus wants to loosen you up some."

"Oh for Ifrit's sake, Reno. You aren't still going on about that, are you?"

"I'm just pointing out the obvious." The redhead shrugged as Tifa turned to wipe down the bar. She shook her head.

"I dunno where you get this from."

"Teef, you must be blind if you don't notice how guys in here look at you. They don't all come here for the whisky, let me tell ya." Reno slung an arm across her shoulders and she looked up at him questioningly. She noticed his eyes flicked over to where Marcus and his friends were sitting and realisation dawned on her.

"Reno, is this a hint of jealousy?" Tifa gave him a sideways glance, unable to stop the small smirk that creeped across her lips. Reno snorted and waved a hand dismissively.

"I don't do jealousy, babe. I just have eyes and I know guys."

"Tarring everyone with the same brush you yourself used to wield, eh?" Tifa couldn't help but giggle as she reached up to ring the bell to signify last orders were over. A chorus of groans came from the remaining patrons. Reno folded his arms and leaned against the back of the bar.

"You just give people too much credit. And don't give yourself enough either. There's not a man in here that wouldn't love to take you to bed."

"Well, even if that was the case, which it's not, there's only room in my bed for one. And I currently have a liking for a certain redhead." She assured him as she started loading the dishwasher. Reno gave her a grin before he headed to round up the empties from the tables. Tifa got up from what she was doing to find Marcus at the bar, wallet in hand.

"Another weekend almost over. I swear they go past quicker every time. You changing the clocks on us?"

"I swear I'm not." Tifa laughed as she rung up his tab before handing him the receipt. He glanced at the piece of paper before he fished out some notes from his wallet.

"Maybe it was the new guy then."

"Reno? Unlikely. He's a night owl and would rather the evenings ran later." Tifa smiled as she scooped up the Gil and put it into the till before she turned to hand Marcus his change. As always, he waved it off. And as always, Tifa gave him a small nod of gratitude.

"Methinks he would happily change the clock if it meant more time with you to himself, if you don't mind me saying." Marcus tucked his wallet away and smiled. Tifa felt her cheeks warming.

"I, uh..."

"You don't have to explain, Teef. It's good that you finally have someone who appreciates you. Nice to finally put a face to the person who's been making you so happy for the last few months."

"Did I hear my name a minute ago? What have I done wrong now?" Reno piled the empty glasses onto the bar and grinned as Tifa and Marcus turned to face him. Marcus gave him a small nod.

"Just saying how lucky you are to have Tifa. She's an incredible girl."

"Ya don't hafta tell me. I'm well aware." Reno moved to stand beside Tifa and hung an arm loosely around her shoulders. His grin was still present but Tifa couldn't help but notice his posture seemed a little stiff and there was a slight warning edge to his tone. Marcus nodded again and turned to leave.

"Glad to hear it. Well, night, Teef. Til next time." The man gave the pair a small wave and followed his friends out the door, leaving the bar empty. Reno wrinkled his nose slightly and turned his head to look at Tifa, confused by the strange expression she had on her face.

"...what?"

"Reno, you're jealous! I can't believe it but you actually feel threatened!" Tifa couldn't help but giggle behind her hand. Reno rolled his eyes so hard it could practically be heard.

"You are delusional. I was simply being friendly."

"Oooooooo Red doesn't like competition." Tifa teased him in a sing song voice, moving to put the rest of the glasses in the dishwasher. Reno gave a sigh of exasperation and rounded the bar to start wiping down the tables.

"Like that guy would be competition. We're complete opposites, if you wanted to be with a guy like him you would be already. He's a dime a dozen."

"Yeah, yeah. I think it's very cute that you're jealous." Tifa grinned as she finished cleaning up behind the bar and headed to help Reno with the tables. Reno rolled his eyes again.

"Cute? I don't think I'm capable of being 'cute'."

"Sure you are. Like when you cuddle into me and let me play with your hair on a Sunday morning. Or when you help the kids with breakfast." Tifa put the last chair up top of it's respective table and moved behind Reno, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Or when you take care of me when I'm tired. Or when you buy me my favourite beer when you know I've had a long day. Or when you kiss each corner of my mouth that way that you do." She pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades as she rested her forehead against his back. She felt him slid one hand over hers.

"Hmph. That's just being a nice person, mostly." Reno mumbled, glad that Tifa was behind him and therefore couldn't see the blush in his cheeks as she pointed out all the little habits he had picked up thanks to her. Now that she had pointed them out, Reno suddenly felt very vulnerable. She gently swayed her hips behind him, her hold on him meaning he swayed slightly too.

"Maybe it is. But I love that you do them for me." Tifa said softly before he felt her stiffen behind him. He chanced a glance over his shoulder but she had buried her face into his tshirt so he couldn't see her. It was the first time the L Word had been uttered between them, and it has obviously slipped out by accident judging by her reaction. He couldn't help the grin that appeared then, suddenly feeling like he wasn't the vulnerable one anymore.

"Sorry what was that, Teef? Didn't quite catch that." Reno trailed off as he made to turn around. Tifa let out a small squeak and let him go hurriedly, tucking away the loose strand of hair that was continually falling over her shoulder as she looked at the floor bashfully.

"S-sorry. I.. Um... I'm gonna check on the kids." Tifa stumbled over her words as she about turned and practically sprinted towards the stairs. Reno grinned wider then, trying to ignore the way his stomach fluttered slightly. He headed over to lock the door of the bar before he followed the panicked brunette up the stairs.

* * *

When he made it upstairs, he found Tifa sitting on the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee in her hands. It was no doubt decaf at this time of night, but he was still puzzled by her reaction downstairs. She lifted her head to look at him before she quickly averted her eyes back to her mug. Reno wandered over to the fridge and helped himself to a beer before he sat down on one of the chairs at the small table. They both sipped in silence for a few minutes before Reno put his bottle down on the table and turned in the chair to face Tifa's direction.

"So... Wanna tell me what happened there?"

"...nothing."

"Really? That why ya ran off to 'check on the kids' at 1am?" Reno made quotation marks with his fingers. Tifa dipped her head a little lower and lifted her mug to her lips.

"I just... I was scared. That I had scared you off. With the jealousy comments and then the..."

"Love thing?" Reno finished for her and Tifa spluttered slightly before she nodded. Reno chuckled softly before he got up and moved to stand in front of her, settling himself between her knees as he placed his hands either sides of her hips on the counter. "You were worried you scared me off but you're the one who made a run for it?" He pointed out. Tifa looked up at him through strands of her hair, her bottom lip between her teeth. Reno let out a small groan. Regardless of the situation, his body reacted in only one way when she looked up at him like that. He curled one finger under her chin and lifted her head to place a small kiss on either side of her mouth before he pressed his lips against hers softly. He silently cursed himself for the little affectionate gesture that she had pointed out earlier, but quickly dismissed his annoyance when she sighed softly against his lips as he pulled back.

"Sorry. This is all kinda new to me."

"And it isn't to me?" Reno raised an eyebrow questioningly as he put his hand back down on the counter at her side and Tifa gave him a small smile.

"I suppose."

"Teef, as long as you're bein' honest with me, I'm never gonna be annoyed at that. And I ain't gonna go runnin' off at a bit of mocking. Hell, I probably deserve it now and again." He gave her a grin and she laughed softly. "Besides, I definitely deserve it if it's kinda true."

"So you were jealous?" Tifa's eyes sparkled with amusement as she set her mug aside and linked her hands with his. Reno gave her a lopsided smile.

"Maybe a little. But only because I'm gettin' used to you bein' my girl and want more people to know it."

"Marcus knows it. He noticed right away. Said he'd even noticed I'd been happier lately since you've been around." She lifted his hand to her lips, his fingers still entwined with hers, and kissed the back of his hand gently. She heard Reno's breath hitch slightly as she kissed each one of his fingers in turn, her lips soft against his calloused fingertips.

"I suppose bein' with you hasn't been too much of a drag for me either." The redhead chuckled as she held his hand against her cheek.

"Not a drag. Lucky me. You really know how to make a girl feel special."

"Yeah, well, if I admitted I loved you, you'd probably run out the window." Reno mumbled softly, his eyes on hers as her grip on his hands tightened to an almost painful level. Wide chocolate orbs stared into half shut turquoise ones.

"You... What?"

"Come on Lockhart, don't do that thing where ya pretend ya didn't hear so I have to repeat myself." Reno's one sided grin returned as she him simply stared at him, unblinking.

"Are you serious?"

"Probably as serious as I ever have been." Reno's expression suddenly turned almost solemn. Tifa searched his eyes for a few more moments for any traces of mocking. When she didn't find any, she released a breath she didn't know she was holding and she suddenly found herself feeling lightheaded.

Reno remained perfectly still, unsure how Tifa was feeling. He had gone out on a limb and he seriously hoped she would say something soon so he didn't feel like a total idiot. He was used to saying he loved people when it came to his fellow Turks. Their closeness made it easy for him to care about them because he knew they'd always have his back. This was different though, and it scared the hell out of him. Especially now, when she was just staring at him and not speaking. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest. Maybe she ran away earlier because she regretted what she said. That would make him feel really stupid right about now. He steeled himself for the worst and opened his eyes slowly.

Perfect timing, it appeared, as Tifa practically flung herself off the counter and into his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist as she pressed her lips against his tightly. Reno made a muffled sound of surprise as he wrapped his arms around her tightly as she let go of his hands to wrap her own arms around his neck. The grin on his face couldn't be held back as he kissed her in return, his eyes closing again as he did so. He lost track of how long they stood there in the kitchen, wrapped around each other and pressed tightly together. But when their lips did break sort, neither of them opened their eyes right away. Reno felt Tifa rest her forehead against his and he opened his eyes to see her watching him. His grin widened.

"So, um... No window leaping?"

"No window leaping." Tifa giggled in response, the mirth in her voice reflected in her eyes. Reno let out a sigh of relief and kissed her again, this time with a slow passionate rhythm rather than one of desperation. When they broke apart again, both of them were breathing a little heavier.

"I know this full thing is insane and most of your friends hate me and I'm always gonna be a pain in your ass. But I'm so glad I found you on that mountain that day." Reno pressed his lips to her ear as he spoke softly. He felt Tifa shiver as his lips brushed her earlobe. "And I plan to stick around as long as you don't get sick of me. Cause I kinda like ya."

"Well that's a relief. Cause I kinda like you too." Tifa giggled as Reno leaned back to look at her. She searched his eyes with hers again, unable to stop the stupidly large smile on her face. Reno let out a bark of laughter.

"Gods, you really are domesticatin' me. I gotta do or say somethin' filthy quick before ya think I'm goin' soft." The redhead gave her a slightly wicked grin as he shifted her more securely into his arms, his hands resting under her thighs as he turned to leave the kitchen. Tifa laughed as she clung to him.

"Trust you to spoil the moment!" She giggled as he opened the door to her bedroom and carried her in, kicking the door over behind him before he moved to sit on the bed, settling her on his lap.

"Hey, yer stuck with me now. You get one 'moment' a month and you'll suck it up." Reno teased as he slid his hands up to her waist, taking hold of the bottom of her vest top. Tifa rolled her eyes with a smile as he lifted her top off in one smooth motion and moved to kiss her bare shoulder.

"Okay. But before you do that..." Tifa took his head in her hands and looked him in the eye again. That familiar hunger in his eyes was visible even in the dull lamp light and she felt her body already responding to his touch as he slid his hands up over the curve of her hips to her waist. But she wanted to get this out before she gave in. "I meant what I said downstairs. I do love all the little things you do for me. And to me. That you trust me and respect my strength and still let yourself be vulnerable in front of me. I love that we've spent so much time together and you still make me laugh as often as you make me roll my eyes at you." She smiled as Reno laughed. "And I do love that you get a little bit protective of me. In short, despite everything and despite my own doubts in myself, I've fallen in love with you, Reno." Tifa finished quietly. Reno's hands had stilled, and even though he'd just expressed similar feelings, Tifa's heart was pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it in the darkness. He looked at her now with an unreadable expression and Tifa found herself biting her bottom lip again.

"I don't think I've ever wanted to hear seven words so badly." Reno practically purred, lifting one hand to bury his fingers into her hair as he pulled her lips down to his. Tifa felt her blood practically singing in her veins and she pressed herself against him as tightly as she could, the butterlies in her stomach going crazy. The next few hours both rushed past and simultaneously felt like a lifetime, and by the time they fell asleep in each other's arms as the morning light started to creep through the curtains, Tifa felt fit to burst with sheer happiness and contentment. She curled against Reno's side, fitting as if the space was meant for her, her exhaustion emotional as well as physical this time compared to the previous night. The happiness she had felt all day Saturday was minuscule in comparison to this Sunday morning.

Yesterday she had simply been a happy girl dating someone who made her laugh. Now, she was in love.

* * *

AN : It started as a bit of comic relief and ended up very fluffy and sweet! Many thanks to Jasien for the idea for this chapter! This was so much fun to write, thank you for the suggestion! I'd love more ideas from you guys if there's anything you'd like me to write about! Hope you guys enjoy this update! :)


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